Russian General Linked to 'Putin's £1 Billion Palace' Dies in Prison

General Gennady Lopyrev, who oversaw the construction of Vladimir Putin's alleged £1 billion Black Sea palace, has died in prison shortly after becoming eligible for parole. Lopyrev was jailed in 2017 on charges of bribe-taking and illegal possession of ammunition, which he denied. His sudden death has raised suspicions of foul play, possibly poisoning, but authorities claim there was no crime. Another ally of Putin, General Gennady Zhidko, who briefly commanded the Kremlin's troops in Ukraine, also died this week from a "long illness." These deaths add to a list of high-profile oligarchs who have died under mysterious circumstances since Putin's invasion of Ukraine.