The News Minute | November 6, 2014 | 9:50 pm IST

A well-known Russian actor and vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin has been found dead at his home in Moscow, a British daily reported Thursday.

Alexei Devotchenko, 49, was found dead in his Moscow apartment Wednesday evening, The Telegraph reported, adding that police suspect a foul play.

Devotchenko was known for his roles in several popular television drama series such as "Bandit Petersburg" and "The Street of Broken Lamps" and in performances at the highly regarded Moscow Art Theatre.

In 2011, the actor said he was renouncing two state acting prizes "received from Putin's hands", saying he was "ashamed". "I've had enough of all this Tsar-state stuff," he wrote in a blog later. "With its lies, its cover-ups, its legalised theft, its bribe-taking and its other triumphs."

LifeNews, a pro-Kremlin website with links to the law enforcement agencies, said Devotchenko had cut his hand and then fallen and hit his head after suffering blood loss. However, Devotchenko's outspoken criticism of Putin is likely to provoke intense scrutiny over how and why he died.

IANS