Russian authorities have detained a general from Russian President Vladimir Putin's personal guard, the Meduza news site reported Friday.
General Gennady Lopyrev, who heads the Federal Protection Service (FSO) in Russia's Caucasus region, was detained on suspicion of "serious violations of the law" during a "routine internal check" Meduza reported, citing the FSO press office. The FSO is charged with a number of tasks, including providing protection for the president and key government interests.
Lopyrev's detention was reported by Russian tabloid Izvestia this morning, citing sources unnamed sources in the Federal Security Service (FSB). The newspaper later deleted the article from its website.
In Izvestia's original report, the outlet claimed that investigators had unearthed one billion rubles ($15.5 million) in General Lopyrev's apartment. The general's home was allegedly searched in connection with an investigation into the distribution of land for the construction of Olympic facilities at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, the newspaper reported.
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