Ex-head of the Security Service in the Caucasus of the FSO of Russia Gennady Lopyrev died in penal colony № 3 in the Ryazan region. This was reported to RIA Novosti by the Chairman of the Public Supervisory Commission of the region Viktor Boborykin.
Gennady Lopyrev was responsible for ensuring the security of state facilities in southern Russia, including the residences of the president and prime minister. He monitored and controlled the spending of construction funds on the Black Sea coast. According to RBC sources close to the Kremlin, he worked closely with the Sochi authorities and was part of the delegation to the Sochi 2012 investment forum. According to the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel, the general also supervised the construction of a residence in Gelendzhik, which became known as “Putin’s palace” after an investigation by Alexei Navalny’s team.
In 2017, Lopyrev was convicted by the Znamensky garrison military court for bribery and illegal possession of weapons. He was arrested while receiving a bribe worth 6.2 million rubles. During a search, another billion was found in his possession.
The initial sentence for the FSO general was 10 years in prison and a fine of 150 million rubles. However, the sentence was later partially changed by the Third District Military Court, and the prison term amounted to nine years and eight months, while the fine was reduced to 130 million rubles.
According to official information, Lopyrev’s death was caused by illness. At the same time, the convict did not complain about his health, did not work in detention and was preparing for parole, as his term was nearing its end. On Monday, August 14, he suddenly sought medical help because of breathing problems. He was first taken to Skopin, after which he was transported to Ryazan Regional Hospital. Doctors established an unexpected diagnosis – leukemia. However, all indicators of Lopyrev’s condition at the time of hospitalization, including ECG and CT scan, were within normal limits.
