Vladimir Putin critic who publicly denounced Russian leader dies of 'serious illness'

Viktor Cherkesov, who was once tasked with crushing Soviet dissidents, played a crucial role in the rise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but both men then had a strained relationship

Viktor Cherkesov was fired from this role following his criticism of the secret service under Putin (

Image: social media/east2west news)

A former aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, demoted after publicly criticizing the Kremlin chief, has died of an unexplained "serious illness".

Viktor Cherkesov, former Putin's trusted aide and former head of the Federal Drug Control Service (FKSN), has died aged 72.

Cherkesov was once responsible for crushing Soviet dissidents and was instrumental in the rise of the Russian president, but the two men subsequently had a strained relationship.

When Putin headed the FSB secret service before becoming prime minister, Cherkesov was his trusted deputy.

Previously, he was responsible for law and order in St. Petersburg when it became Russia's "criminal capital" with a record of countless unsolved contract killings.

At the time, Putin was deputy mayor.

Vladimir Putin (right) with associate spy Cherkesov (left) (

Picture:

rus.team /east2west news)

No other details were immediately given about Cherkesov's cause of death in St. Petersburg.

In 2007, Cherkesov hinted in a newspaper that the secret service was corrupt under Putin.

Instead of being "warriors", senior officers get rich as "merchants", he warned.

An outraged Putin later hinted that his longtime ally Cherkessov was hardly clean and said he "considers it wrong to air such issues in the media".< /p>

"And if someone acts like that, makes such claims about a special services war, they have to be spotless themselves first."

At the time an agent and also a former agent working for Cherkesov - then ...