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Former Soviet KGB chief’ leaves suicide note

“Detectives found out that Shebarshin was home alone at the time of his death. He left a suicide note,” the police said

MOSCOW, March 30 (Itar-Tass) —— Former Soviet intelligence chief Leonid Shebarshin left a suicide note. Its content is not disclosed in the interest of investigation, the Moscow city police told Itar-Tass on Sunday.

“Detectives found out that Shebarshin was home alone at the time of his death. He left a suicide note,” the police said.

Moscow city police department chief Vladimir Kolokoltsev visited the incident scene to witness the search of the Shebarshin apartment. He refused to speak to the journalists afterwards.

A security guard at the gate of the Shebarshin home told journalists that he knew the general and saw him last time a couple of weeks ago. He said Shebarshin lived alone. His wife died several years ago. A grandson visited Shebarshin from time to time. “Shebarshin was an amicable person. He always said hello. Yet I could see that his health was declining,” the security guard said.

“The body of Leonid Shebarshin, 76, was found in his apartment at 56, Vtoraya Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street. An award weapon was found near the body. Judging by tentative findings, it could be a suicide,” Investigation Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said.

“The Tverskoy district investigative department of the Moscow office of the Russian Investigation Committee started an investigation,” he said.

Shebarshin was born in Moscow in 1935. He graduated from the MGIMO Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations and joined the Soviet KGB in 1992. He was a resident intelligence officer under the diplomatic cover in Pakistan, India, Iran and Afghanistan and took high-ranking positions in the KGB in 1983. He was appointed as a Deputy Chairman of the KGB in 1989. Shebarshin took no part in the putsch 1991, but headed the KGB for one day only, on August 22, 1991. He retired on September 20, 1991.

The general wrote a book, “The Hand of Moscow. Soviet Intelligence Chief Diaries”, in December 1992.