Suspicious deaths of Russian businesspeople (2022–2024)

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Ravil Maganov, chairman of the national oil company Lukoil, fell from a Kremlin Hospital window under suspicious circumstances, according to reports: CCTV cameras had been "turned off for repairs", President Putin was visiting the hospital the same day, and associates did not believe he was suicidal. Ravil Maganov (2019-11-21).jpg
Ravil Maganov, chairman of the national oil company Lukoil, fell from a Kremlin Hospital window under suspicious circumstances, according to reports: CCTV cameras had been "turned off for repairs", President Putin was visiting the hospital the same day, and associates did not believe he was suicidal.

Since the beginning of 2022, multiple unusual deaths of Russian businesspeople or high officials, sometimes including their family members, have occurred under what some sources suggest were suspicious circumstances. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Analysis

On 3 June 2022 the Dutch NOS news network described the phenomenon as "a grim series of Russian billionaires, many from the oil and gas industries, who have been found dead under unusual circumstances since early this year. The first was on 30 January, when 60-year-old Leonid Shulman, transport chief for Russian energy giant Gazprom, was found dead in the bathroom of his country house in the Leningrad region. Beside his body was a suicide note." [4] On 6 July 2022, CNN Portugal described the group as "millionaires with direct or indirect links to the Kremlin found dead in a mystery scenario since the beginning of the year". [5] It referred to a previous investigation by USA Today , which concluded that "38 Russian businessmen and oligarchs close to the Kremlin died in mysterious or suspicious circumstances between 2014 and 2017." [5] The phenomenon has been called "sudden Russian death syndrome" or "sudden oligarch death syndrome", a play on sudden arrhythmic death syndrome. [6] [7]

Some commentators ruled out suicides or poor health. [8] Other commentators, including Fiona Hill and Mark Galeotti, are skeptical of such conspiracies. [8] They point out the deaths are not necessarily all connected, and that it is far more likely some really are suicides, and some could be killings by competing influential clans to wipe out competitors without a centralized Kremlin effort.

The suicide rate in Russia is the third-highest in the world, [8] and similar trends have been noted in 2020 about doctors who have treated COVID-19 patients falling from high windows. [8] Suicides could be further increased especially in the Russian business community due to substantial pressure from the war in Ukraine and international sanctions. [8]

Calls for further investigations

Friends and families of the deceased Russian businessmen generally found it "unthinkable" that they killed themselves – and in some cases also their wives and children – and have demanded an independent investigation into the mysterious deaths. [4] Igor Volobuyev  [ uk ], the Ukrainian-born ex-vice-chairman of Gazprombank, who left Russia during the outbreak of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and joined the Freedom of Russia Legion, [9] [10] said in an interview with The Insider that he thought that his former colleague Vladislav Avayev's alleged murder of his family and subsequent suicide had been staged: "Why? That is difficult to say. Perhaps he knew something and posed some kind of danger." [4] [11] Likewise, Sergey Protosenya's son, who was not in Spain when his parents and sister were found dead in Lloret de Mar, stated his father was not the perpetrator ("my father is not a murderer"), but that his parents and sister were murdered by someone else. [4] Protosenya was the former CEO of gas giant Novatek, which published a statement saying he was "a real family man", and called on the Spanish authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation. [4]

Businessman and critic of the Russian federal government Bill Browder has opined that Putin is personally ordering executions of influential business leaders in critical sectors whom he feels will not be yes-men and intimidates their successors with threats of death or violence. [12] In Russian mokroye delo or “wet work” is the name given to the business of assassination with people told to commit suicide or they and their families will receive a visitation. [6]

According to an investigative report by Novaya Gazeta , some of the deaths may be connected to large scale accounting fraud by Gazprom executives, who may have funneled money to a network of businesses owned by friends and family members with ties to the FSB and Russian military. [13]

Suspicious deaths

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

2022

NameAge at deathPositionDate of deathCount of deathsPlace body was discoveredCircumstances
January
Leonid Shulman60Director of Transport of Gazprom [14] [5] [4] 30 January 20221 Flag of Russia.svg Bathroom of a residence in Leningrad Oblast [4] Suicide note found next to his body [4]
February
Igor Nosov43CEO of the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (KRDV) and former Deputy governor of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast 8 February 20221 Flag of Russia.svg MoscowReportedly suffered a stroke [15]
Alexander Tyulakov61Deputy General Director of the Unified Settlement Center of Gazprom [14] [5] [4] 25 February 20221 Flag of Russia.svg Garage of a residence in Saint Petersburg [4] Suicide note found on his body [4]
Mikhail Watford66Businessman [14] [16] [5] [4] 28 February 20221 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Garage of a residence in Surrey, England [4] British authorities have not found evidence of a crime [4]
March
Vasily Melnikov43CEO and owner of Medstorm [14] [5] [4] 23 March 20224 Flag of Russia.svg Apartment in Nizhny Novgorod [4] Wife and two sons found dead beside him [4]
April
Vladislav Avayev51Former Vice President of Gazprombank [14] [5] [17] 18 April 20223 Flag of Russia.svg Apartment in Moscow [4] Wife and 13-year-old daughter found dead beside him [4]
Sergey Protosenya55Former Deputy Chairman of Novatek. [14] [5] [17] [4] 19 April 20223 Flag of Spain.svg Garden of a residence in Lloret de Mar, Spain [4] Hanged from a handrail; [18] wife and daughter found dead in their beds with blunt axe wounds [18] and stab wounds [4]
May
Andrei Krukovsky37General Director of the Estosadok Krasnaya Polyana, a ski resort owned by Gazprom [5] [17] 1 May 20221 Flag of Russia.svg Below a cliff near the Achipse Fortress  [ ru ] in Sochi [5] [17] Reportedly fell off a cliff while hiking to Achipse Fortress  [ ru ] [17]
Alexander Subbotin43 [19] Board member of Lukoil [20] [5] 8 May 20221 Flag of Russia.svg Basement of a Jamaican shaman's residence in Moscow [4] Reportedly died from a drug-induced heart attack during a shamanic ritual, though critics allege toad poison [4]
July
Yuri Voronov61CEO of Astra Shipping, a subcontractor of Gazprom [5] 4 July 20221 Flag of Russia.svg Swimming pool of a residence in Leningrad Oblast [5] Gunshot wounds to the head, pistol found next to his body [5]
August
Dan Rapoport 52Businessman [21] 14 August 20221 Flag of the United States.svg 2400 M Street NW, Washington, D.C., United StatesFound in the street after an apparent fall from his high rise apartment building [21]
September
Ravil Maganov 67Chair of Lukoil [5] 1 September 20221 Flag of Russia.svg Below a window of the Kremlin Hospital, Moscow [22] Reportedly hospitalised for heart problems and depression, then "fell out of a window" [22] [23]
Ivan Pechorin39Director of Aviation of the Russian Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (KRDV)10 September 2022 [24] [25] 1 Flag of Russia.svg On a beach in Beregovoy, Amur Oblast Drowned at Cape Ignatyev, Vladivostok; body found washed up in Beregovoy two days later; [25] allegedly fell from his boat [26]
Vladimir Sungorkin  [ru] 68Editor-in-chief of Komsomolskaya Pravda 14 September 2022 [27] 1 Flag of Russia.svg Roshchino  [ ru ], Khabarovsky District, Khabarovsk Krai Reportedly suffered a stroke and suffocated while on the way to lunch [27]
Anatoly Gerashchenko  [ru] 72Former Head of the Moscow Aviation Institute 21 September 2022 [28] [29] 1 Flag of Russia.svg Stairway within the Moscow Aviation Institute [28] [29] Reportedly fell down a flight of stairs inside the institute [28] [29]
Pavel Pchelnikov52Director of Digital Logistics, a Russian Railways subsidiary [30] [31] 28 September 2022 [31] 1 Flag of Russia.svg On the balcony of an apartment in Moscow [30] [31] Allegedly shot himself on the balcony of his apartment [30] [31]
October
Nikolay Petrunin 46Deputy of the State Duma 12 October 20221 Flag of Russia.svg Unnamed hospital in MoscowAlleged complications of COVID-19 [32] [33]
November
Vyacheslav Taran53Co-founder of Libertex, a cryptocurrency and foreign exchange market company25 November 2022 [34] 1 Flag of France.svg Villefranche-sur-Mer, French Riviera, FranceDied in helicopter crash after taking off from Switzerland [35]
Vladimir Makei 64 Foreign Minister of Belarus (2012-2022)26 November 20221UnknownReported to have died four days after returning from a Collective Security Treaty Organization summit in Armenia accompanying representatives of Vladimir Putin. [36] He was said by his friends to have been "painfully upset" by the collapse of the course he was leading. [37]
December
Grigory Kochenov41Creative Director of Agima, an IT company7 December 20221 Flag of Russia.svg Volodarsky Street, Nizhny NovgorodReportedly fell to his death from his balcony while officials from the Investigative Committee executed a search warrant for his apartment [38]
Dmitriy Zelenov50Co-founder of Donstroy, a construction company9 December 20221 Flag of France.svg Antibes, French Riviera, FranceReportedly felt ill and fell over a railing and hit his head, later died in hospital without regaining consciousness [39] [40]
Vladimir Bidenov61Business associate and travel companion of Pavel Antov 22 December 20221 Flag of India.svg Hotel Sai International, Rayagada, Odisha, IndiaDied of heart problems; two days later his close companion, Pavel Antov, also died at the same hotel under suspicious circumstances [41] [42]
Alexander Buzakov  [ ru ]66Director General of the Admiralty Shipyards 24 December 20221 Flag of Russia.svg Saint PetersburgDied suddenly the day after he attended the float-out ceremony of the new Lada class submarine

Velikie Luki  [ ru ]. No explanation was given on the cause of death [43]

Pavel Antov 65Founder of Vladmirsky Standart, a meat processing company, and deputy (member) of the Legislative Assembly of Vladimir Oblast 1 Flag of India.svg Below a window of Hotel Sai International, Rayagada, Odisha, IndiaFell out of window from Hotel Sai International; [44] another Russian colleague, Vladimir Bidenov, died in the same hotel two days prior. [45] [46]
Alexei Maslov 69Former Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces and special representative of Uralvagonzavod. [47] [48] 1 Flag of Russia.svg Burdenko Main Military Clinical Hospital, Moscow[ citation needed ]Died "unexpectedly" in a military hospital, no cause given. [47]
Vladimir Nesterov 73Engineer who was general director of the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center 28 December 2022 [49] 1Unknown

2023

NameAge at deathPositionDate of deathCount of deathsPlace body was discoveredCircumstances
January
Magomed Abdulaev 61Former Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Dagestan  [ ru ]5 January 20231 Flag of Russia.svg Makhachkala, Dagestan Died at a hospital after being hit by a car while crossing a street [50]
Dmitry Pavochka49Former manager of Roscosmos, Sukhoi, Lukoil, Bank Menatep and Russdragmet, while presently or formerly involved with many others.26 January 20231 Flag of Russia.svg 17th floor of a building on Leningradsky Avenue, MoscowBurned alive after falling asleep with a lit cigarette [51]
February
Vladimir Makarov72Former police general in charge of cracking down on anti-war protesters.13 February 20231 Flag of Russia.svg At his suburban home northwest of MoscowState-run TASS news agency reported him found dead, in an apparent suicide, following his dismissal by President Vladimir Putin. [52] [53]
Marina Yankina58Head of the financial support department of the Ministry of Defence for the Western Military District.16 February 20231 Flag of Russia.svg House on Zamshina Street, St. PetersburgFound dead after falling from a window on the 16th-floor of a high-rise building. [54] [55] [56]
Viatcheslav Rovneiko59Oil magnate, co-founder of Urals Energy, co-owner of Belgian oil company Nafta (B) NV, director of Interregional Fuel Union; ex-KGB spy.22 February 20231 Flag of Russia.svg Unspecified gated village near MoscowFound unconscious in his house; subsequent medical help could not save his life. [57] [58]
April
Igor Shkurko49Deputy director of Yakutskenergo  [ ru ].4 April 20231 Flag of Russia.svg Pre-trial detention center in Yakutsk Found dead in his cell; allegedly suicide. [59]
May
Pyotr Kucherenko46State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation20 May 20231 Flag of Russia.svg Mineralnye Vody Airport, Stavropol Krai Died after falling ill on board a flight from Cuba to Russia. [60] [61] [62]
June
Artyom Bartenev42Federal Judge of the Kirovsky District Court8 June 20231 Flag of Russia.svg Underneath his apartment in Kazan, Tatarstan Found dead after falling 12 stories from his apartment window. [63] [64]
Grigory Klinishov 92Physicist and co-creator of the Soviet hydrogen bomb RDS-37.17 June 20231 Flag of Russia.svg Inside his apartment in MoscowFound dead in his apartment from an apparent suicide, leaving a note. [65] [66]
Kristina Baikova28Vice-president of Loko-Bank  [ ru ], head of department for work with corporate clients.24 June 20231 Flag of Russia.svg Underneath her apartment in Khodynsky Boulevard, MoscowFell off her apartment at the 11th floor; circumstances of the incident have not yet been clarified. [67]
July
Andrei Fomin 57Prosecutor of Chuvashia (since 2020)1 July 20231 Flag of Russia.svg In the Volga river near Cheboksary Fell ill while swimming in the Volga river and drowned. [68] [69]
Aleksey Avramenko 46 Minister of Transport and Communications  [ be ] of Belarus (since 2019)4 July 20231UnknownDied suddenly. [70] [71]
Alexander Nikolayev72Worked for Rosatom since 2016. Former diplomat. 2003-2008 Russian Consul-General in Simferopol, Crimea.July 20231 Flag of Russia.svg Konakovo, Tver OblastBeaten up near his home and died three weeks later. [72]
Natalia Bochkareva44Daughter of former Governor of Penza Oblast Vasily Bochkarev. Managed her families lumber-processing and bakery businesses14 July 20231 Flag of Russia.svg MoscowFound dead inside her apartment. [73]
Anton Cherepennikov40Billionaire owner and head of state-affiliated company Citadel specializing in digital wiretapping equipment and telecommunications monitoring technology, sanctioned by the US in February 2023 [74] 22 July 20231 Flag of Russia.svg MoscowFound dead in his office. [75]
August
Gennady Lopyrev69Former lieutenant-general in the FSO and overseer of various construction projects, including Putin's palace at Gelendzhik, near Sochi. Imprisoned in the IK-3 prison in 2017 for taking bribes, charges he denied in 2016. [76] 16 August 20231 Flag of Russia.svg IK-3 prison colony, Ryazan Oblast Died of leukemia two days after diagnosis. News agencies reported no previous signs of the illness. [76]
Yevgeny Prigozhin 62 Russian oligarch, mercenary, Wagner Group co-founder and leader, and former close confidant of Russian president Vladimir Putin until he launched a brief rebellion on 23 June 2023, exactly two months prior.23 August 202310 Flag of Russia.svg Kuzhenkino, Bologovsky District, Tver Oblast

An Embraer Legacy 600 business jet with registration number RA-02795 crashed during a regular high-altitude flight from Moscow to Saint Petersburg. [77] [78] [79] Prigozhin, Utkin, and Chekalov were killed along with two Wagner veterans, two bodyguards, and the three flight staff. [80] According to Wagner Group, the plane was shot down by air defenses, [81] however according to the US government and aviation experts, the plane was downed by a bomb onboard or other sabotage. [82] [83] [84] [85] [86] [81]

Dmitry Utkin 53Former special forces officer in the GRU, co-founder of Wagner Group, recipient of four Orders of Courage of Russia.
Valery Chekalov 47 Russian Navy veteran, Wagner Group's head of security and foreign logistics that managed several front companies to coordinate activities in Libya and Syria.
October
Vladimir Nekrasov66Chairman of Lukoil October1Died of acute heart failure. [87]
November
Vladimir Sviridov 68Former lieutenant-general of the 6th Air and Air Defence Forces Army, recipient of Order of the Red Star.November 20232 Flag of Russia.svg Andzhievsky, Stavropol Krai Found dead at home with his wife. [88] [89]
December
Evgeny Postrigan50Chief accountant at sanctioned Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev December 20231 Flag of Russia.svg Zheleznogorsk, SiberiaFound dead at the garage of his property, cause of death asphyxiation. [90]
Vladimir Egorov 46Politician and oil businessesman in Tobolsk.27 December 20231 Flag of Russia.svg Tobolsk, Tyumen Oblast Found dead in the yard of his home from suspected three-story fall from building. [91]

2024

NameAge at deathPositionDate of deathCount of deathsPlace body was discoveredCircumstances
January
Zoya Konovalova48Editor-in-chief of the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company Kuban5 January 20242 Flag of Russia.svg Krasnodar Krai Died alongside her ex-husband in a suspected poisoning incident. [92]
Ivan Sechin35Employee of Rosneft. Son and heir apparent of Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin 5 February 20241 Flag of Russia.svg MoscowComplained of kidney pain at his home mansion overnight and died within hours after ambulances failed to arrive due to a "mistake" by the security service giving the wrong address. Cause of death officially diagnosed as a blood clot. His father, Igor Sechin, blamed the Rosneft security service. The Daily Beast calls it "bizarre circumstances". [93]
Vitaly Robertus53Vice president of Lukoil 13 March 20241 Flag of Russia.svg MoscowReportedly committed suicide. He was found hanged in his Moscow office on 13 March 2024. [94] [95] [96]

See also

Assassinations and assassination attempts

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References

  1. ↑ "A Wave of Mystery Suicides of Russian Gazprom Executives". Warsaw Institute. 24 April 2022. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  2. ↑ Rahman, Khaleda (27 April 2022). "Russian oligarch deaths were not suicide, says gas exec who fled country". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 29 July 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  3. ↑ Deutsche, Welle. "Mysterious series of deaths among Russian oligarchs | DW | 7 May 2022". DW.COM. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Iris de Graaf (3 June 2022). "Mysterieuze reeks 'zelfmoorden' onder Russische oligarchen" [Mysterious series of 'suicides' among Russian oligarchs]. NOS.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022. ...een grimmige reeks aan Russische miljardairs, velen uit de olie- en gassector, die onder ongebruikelijke omstandigheden dood zijn aangetroffen sinds begin dit jaar. Het begon op 30 januari, toen de 60-jarige Leonid Sjoelman, hoofd transport van de Russische energiegigant Gazprom, dood werd aangetroffen in de badkamer van zijn buitenhuis in de regio Leningrad. Naast zijn lichaam lag een afscheidsbrief.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Yet another Russian tycoon found dead under mysterious circumstances. Found in the pool at home". CNN Portugal (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  6. 1 2 Godfrey, Elaine (29 December 2022). "Sudden Russian Death Syndrome". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  7. ↑ "Sudden fatalities and falling from windows: The high-profile suspicious Russian deaths since the invasion of Ukraine". 30 June 2023. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Cameron Peters (14 October 2022). "Russian businessmen keep dying. No one knows why. Three theories for a mysterious string of deaths in Putin's Russia". Vox . Archived from the original on 9 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  9. ↑ "Former Gazprombank executive Igor Volobuev joins the Freedom to Russia Legion within the Ukrainian Armed Forces". Novaya Gazeta. 11 June 2022. Archived from the original on 11 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  10. ↑ "'I could not be part of this crime': the Russians fighting for Ukraine". The Guardian. 14 June 2022. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  11. ↑ "Вице-президент "Газпромбанка" Игорь Волобуев уехал в Украину, собрался вступить в тероборону и назвал смерть топ-менеджера Аваева убийством" [Igor Volobuyev, Vice-President of Gazprombank, left for Ukraine, was about to join the defence and called the death of top manager Avayev a murder]. The Insider (in Russian). 26 April 2022. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  12. ↑ Hawley, Samantha; Duxfield, Flint (3 October 2022). "Russia's millionaires dying in 'epidemic of murder' to fund Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, says campaigner". ABC News. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
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