A RUSSIAN general who was fired by Vladimir Putin a month ago has been found shot dead, according to reports.

Major General Vladimir Makarov, 72, was found dead at his home near Moscow on Monday.

He was in charge of "combatting extremism" in Russia, reportedly leading the witchhunt to oust the President's rivals, as well as journalists.

The general is said to have hunted down and suppressed any opponents of Putin's totalitarian regime.

He also waged war on the thousands of young people who courageously protested against the Kremlin. 

But his boss Putin reportedly issued a decree to fire him last month, for reasons that remain unclear.

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It's reported that Makarov took his own life.

Relatives said Makarov "did not know what to do" after being axed from his role by Putin.

He had been deputy head of the Interior Ministry's Main Directorate for Combating Extremism, which was also responsible for countering terrorism. 

VChK-OGPU Telegram channel cited a source saying the general had slipped into a "deep depression" following his ousting.

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Makarov was at his country house in Golikovo village near Moscow with his wife Valentina before his death.

She claimed to have heard the sound of a gunshot at 7am.

A Berkut-2M hunting rifle was found nearby, reports said, although other accounts said a pistol was discovered. 

Valentina summoned a family member to the property and called an ambulance after finding her husband.

Paramedics were unable to revive the general, local media claims.

Makarov's family are now being interrogated by the Russian Investigative Committee, Moskovsky Komsomolets reported.

Russian state news agency TASS reports that law according to law enforcement officials:  "It has been preliminarily established that he committed suicide."

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