Key facts
- Retired Russian FSB Major General Igor Laptev was found dead in his Moscow apartment.
- Laptev, 83, was found with a gunshot wound to the head.
- Russian media outlets reported Laptev died by suicide on August 20.
- Laptev's business supplied communications equipment to Russia's Defense Ministry and other state agencies.
- Laptev had previously served in the KGB and FSB, involved in information security.
Retired Russian FSB Major General Igor Laptev, whose business supplied communications equipment to state agencies, was found dead in his Moscow apartment on August 21, according to Russian media reports. The 83-year-old was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head in his apartment on Verkhnyaya Krasnoselskaya Street. Russian outlets Moskovsky Komsomolets and Izvestia, citing unnamed sources, reported that Laptev died by suicide on August 20.
Russian authorities have not publicly confirmed the reports, and the circumstances surrounding Laptev’s death remain unclear. The Kyiv Independent stated it could not independently verify the claims.
Independent media outlet Mediazona reported that Laptev was the chairman of the board of the Informtekhnika group, which develops secure communications systems. Companies associated with this group supplied communications equipment to Russia’s Defense Ministry, Interior Ministry, and Voentelecom, a company that services communications infrastructure for the Russian military. Laptev had previously served in the Soviet-Afghan War and later worked in the KGB and Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), where he was involved in information security.
Laptev's reported death occurs amid a series of high-profile attacks targeting Russian military officials and figures linked to Moscow’s war against Ukraine. Recent incidents include the targeting of Russian Aerospace Forces commander Alexander Chayko in August and Russian FPV drone developer Andrey Cherezov in July.