A well-known Russian actor and vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin has been found dead at his home in Moscow.

The body of Alexei Devotchenko was discovered in his apartment on Wednesday evening, The Telegraph has reported.

The circumstances of his death remain unclear. Some Russian news outlets said he was discovered in a pool of blood in his apartment, while others claimed he was found inside his home.

The online tabloid Lifenews reported that Mr Devotchenko hit a glass cabinet with his hands and died of blood loss after sustaining severe cuts in the incident. It said empty bottles of whiskey and packets of phenazepam, a legal Russian drug prescribed to treat epilepsy, were discovered near his body.

Meanwhile, one law enforcement source reportedly told Russian news agencies: "There is reason to suppose that the artist's death is of a criminal character."

Mr Devotchenko was a renowned actor who appeared in popular television dramas and on the stage at the prestigious Moscow Art Theatre. He performed in a production of King Lear in London in 2006.

Vladimir Putin: Inside the Russian President's Daily Life Show all 10 1 /10 Vladimir Putin: Inside the Russian President's Daily Life Vladimir Putin: Inside the Russian President's Daily Life He likes a simple yet sizeable breakfast Putin’s preferred way to start the day is with cottage cheese, omelette, quails’ eggs and porridge, accompanied by fruit juice and coffee. All his food comes from the farmland estates of the Patriarch Kirill, Russia’s religious leader. AFP/ Getty Images Vladimir Putin: Inside the Russian President's Daily Life He’s big on exercise Putin spends two hours a day swimming, where he gets “most of Russia’s thinking done”, according to political advisors. He’s also a gym-goer where he enjoys weight-lifting. AP Vladimir Putin: Inside the Russian President's Daily Life The gym is followed by reading His favourite genre of books are about historical figures such as Ivan the Terrible, Catherine II, Peter the Great. Not for him are the works of JK Rowling and John Grisham. Getty Vladimir Putin: Inside the Russian President's Daily Life He likes cold baths Of course he does. He does have warm baths too, but he spends time completing “his cleanse”. GETTY IMAGES Vladimir Putin: Inside the Russian President's Daily Life He’s not keen on the internet Maybe because it makes him aware of how many people hate him, but truly because he finds “the screens within screens and the bars building up with messages confusing”. Getty Images Vladimir Putin: Inside the Russian President's Daily Life He can’t be given milk There is no explanation as to why. He also can’t be offered food products by his host – all foreign food stuff has to cleared by the Kremlin first. EPA Vladimir Putin: Inside the Russian President's Daily Life He’s learning English via sing-alongs Putin has a tutor to help him learn the England language, with afternoon sessions. GETTY IMAGES Vladimir Putin: Inside the Russian President's Daily Life He’s an animal-lover It may seem strange to imagine the Russian President haring around with animals, but he is very fond of his pet Labrador who is apparently “not afraid of him”. He also goes in for hunting parties. AFP/Getty Images Vladimir Putin: Inside the Russian President's Daily Life He has a travel regime to rival Mariah Carey Putin flies in Russian chefs, waiters and cleaners to ensure his overseas stays are up to his standards. He also has all hotel toiletries replaced with his personal products and fresh fruit under special Kremlin anti-contamination seals. GETTY IMAGES Vladimir Putin: Inside the Russian President's Daily Life He’s not a big conversationalist “He doesn’t talk,” the interpreter told Newsweek. “He feels no need to smile. He doesn’t want to go for a walk. He doesn’t want to drink... At anyone time there are 10 people around him... You cannot get more than 3m close to him because the space is guarded so carefully. He is endlessly surrounded by whispering aides, cameramen, bodyguards.” KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images

He was also a prominent opposition activist and took part in a series of anti-Kremlin protests over the last decade. The 49-year-old renounced two state-awarded acting prizes in 2011, saying he was “ashamed” to have received them “from Putin’s hands”.

He wrote at the time: "I've had enough of all this tsar-state stuff, with its lies, its cover-ups, its legalised theft, its bribe-taking and its other triumphs."

Mr Devotchenko was critical of Russian military intervention in Ukraine and signed an open letter from Russian actors condemning the Kremlin’s actions in March.