2022 Russian businessmen mystery deaths

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During 2022, multiple unusual deaths of Russian-connected businessmen, and sometimes their family members, occurred under what some sources suggest were suspicious circumstances.[1][2][3][4]

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] In December 2022, The Atlantic labeled the phenomenon "Sudden Russian Death Syndrome".[6]

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, 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,[7][8] 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][9] 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.[10]

List of 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.
Name Age at death Position Date of death Place body was discovered Circumstances
Leonid Shulman 60 Director of Transport of Gazprom[11][5][4] 30 January 2022 Russia Bathroom of a residence in Leningrad Oblast[4] Suicide note found next to his body[4]
Igor Nosov 43 CEO of the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (KRDV) and former Deputy governor of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast 8 February 2022 Russia Moscow Reportedly suffered a stroke[12]
Alexander Tyulakov 61 Deputy General Director of the Unified Settlement Center of Gazprom[11][5][4] 25 February 2022 Russia Garage of a residence in Saint Petersburg[4] Suicide note found on his body[4]
Mikhail Watford 66 Businessman[11][13][5][4] 28 February 2022 United Kingdom Garage of a residence in Surrey, England[4] British authorities have not found evidence of a crime[4]
Vasily Melnikov 43 CEO and owner of Medstorm[11][5][4] 23 March 2022 Russia Apartment in Nizhny Novgorod[4] Wife and two sons found dead beside him[4]
Vladislav Avayev 51 Former Vice President of Gazprombank[11][5][14] 18 April 2022 Russia Apartment in Moscow[4] Wife and 13-year-old daughter found dead beside him[4]
Sergey Protosenya 55 Former Deputy Chairman of Novatek.[11][5][14][4] 19 April 2022 Spain Garden of a residence in Lloret de Mar, Spain[4] Hanged from a handrail;[15] wife and daughter found dead in their beds with blunt axe wounds[15] and stab wounds[4]
Andrei Krukovsky 37 General Director of the Estosadok Krasnaya Polyana, a ski resort owned by Gazprom[5][14] 1 May 2022 Russia Below a cliff near the Achipse Fortress [ru] in Sochi[5][14] Reportedly "fell off a cliff" while hiking to Achipse Fortress [ru][14]
Alexander Subbotin 31 Board member of Lukoil[16][5] 8 May 2022 Russia 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]
Yuri Voronov 61 CEO of Astra Shipping, a subcontractor of Gazprom[5] 4 July 2022 Russia Swimming pool of a residence in Leningrad Oblast[5] Gunshot wounds to the head, pistol found next to his body[5]
Dan Rapoport 52 Businessman[17] 14 August 2022 United States Below a window of an apartment in Washington, D.C., United States Reportedly died in a fall from his apartment[17]
Ravil Maganov 67 Chairman of Lukoil[5] 1 September 2022 Russia Below a window of the Kremlin Hospital, Moscow[18] Reportedly hospitalised for heart problems and depression, then "fell out of a window"[18][19]
Ivan Pechorin 39 Director of Aviation of the Russian Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (KRDV) 10 September 2022[20][21] Russia On a beach in Beregovoi, 160 km (99 mi) from Vladivostok Drowned at Cape Ignatyev, Vladivostok; body found washed up in Beregovoe two days later;[21] allegedly fell from his boat[22]
Vladimir Sungorkin [ru] 68 Editor-in-chief of Komsomolskaya Pravda 14 September 2022[23] Russia Roshchino [ru], Khabarovsky District, Khabarovsk Krai Reportedly suffered a stroke and suffocated while on the way to lunch[23]
Anatoly Gerashchenko [ru] 72 Former Head of Moscow Aviation Institute 21 September 2022[24][25] Russia Moscow[24][25] Fell down a flight of stairs inside the institute[24][25]
Pavel Pchelnikov 52 Director of Digital Logistics, a Russian Railways subsidiary[26][27] 28 September 2022[27] Russia On the balcony of an apartment in Moscow[26][27] Allegedly shot himself on the balcony of his apartment[26][27]
Vyacheslav Taran 53 Co-founder of Libertex, a cryptocurrency and foreign exchange market 29 November 2022 France Villefranche-sur-Mer, French Riviera, France Died in helicopter crash after taking off from Switzerland[28]
Grigory Kochenov 41 Creative director of Agima, an IT company 7 December 2022 Russia Below the balcony of an apartment in Nizhny Novgorod Fell to his death from his balcony while police officers were supposedly conducting a search of his apartment[29]
Dmitriy Zelenov 50 Co-founder of Don-Stroy, a construction company 9 December 2022 France Antibes, French Riviera, France Reportedly felt ill and fell over a railing and hit his head, later died in the emergency room without regaining consciousness[30][31]
Vladimir Bidenov 61 Business associate and travel companion of Pavel Antov 22 December 2022 India Hotel Sai International, Rayagada, Odisha, India[32] Died of heart problems despite him never previously having any, two days later his close companion died at the same hotel under suspicious circumstances[33][34]
Alexander Buzakov 66 Director General of the Admiralty Shipyards 24 December 2022 Russia Saint Petersburg Died 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[35]
Pavel Antov 65 Founder of Vladmirsky Standart, a meat processing company, and deputy (member) of the Legislative Assembly of Vladimir Oblast 24 December 2022 India Below a window of Hotel Sai International, Rayagada, Odisha, India Fell out of window from Hotel Sai International;[36] another Russian colleague, Vladimir Bidenov, died in the same hotel two days prior.[37][38]
Alexei Maslov 70 Military liaison to Uralvagonzavod. Retired General of the Army of the Russian Ground Forces[39] 25 December 2022 Russia Burdenko Main Military Clinical Hospital, Moscow[40] "Died suddenly," no cause given.[41][42]
Vladimir Nesterov 73 Engineer who was the general director of Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center 28 December 2022 Unknown Cause and location of death not revealed by officials.[43]

See also

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. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y 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. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "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. ^ Godfrey, Elaine (29 December 2022). "Sudden Russian Death Syndrome". The Atlantic. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "'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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ 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. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d e f "At least five Russian businessmen have died by apparent suicide in just three months". CNN. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  12. ^ "A Kremlin ally died falling down the stairs, report says — the latest in a series of unexplained deaths among prominent Russians". Business Insider.
  13. ^ "Mikhail Watford: Ukrainian oligarch's death investigated by Surrey Police". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  14. ^ a b c d e "The death of the Russian oligarchs". CNN Türk (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  15. ^ a b Sánchez, Guillem (28 April 2022). "La conexión del crimen de Lloret de Mar con Rusia". elperiodico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 September 2022. Sergey se había colgado de una barandilla exterior. [...] Los agentes creen que primero golpeó con el dorso del hacha en la cabeza de las víctimas y, una vez inconscientes, las mató con un cuchillo.
  16. ^ ""Toad poison" hangover treatment reportedly kills Russian oil executive at the house of a "shaman" near Moscow". CBS News. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  17. ^ a b Schaffer, Michael (26 August 2022). "A Putin Critic Fell from a Building in Washington. Was It Really a Suicide?". Politico. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Topman Russisch gas- en oliebedrijf Lukoil komt om het leven 'na val uit raam'" [Top man of Russian gas and oil company Lukoil dies 'after falling from a window']. NOS.nl (in Dutch). 1 September 2022. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  19. ^ Kirby, Paul (1 September 2022). "Ravil Maganov: Russian Lukoil chief dies in 'fall from hospital window'". BBC. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Mysterious death of Ivan Pechorin, Vladimir Putin's top energy executive". EuroWeekly News. Archived from the original on 13 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  21. ^ a b Pavlova, Uliana (14 September 2022). "Russian businessman's body found in latest mysterious death | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  22. ^ "Putin ally falls into the sea, adding to list of mysterious deaths suffered by Russian energy bosses". Business Insider. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  23. ^ a b Ibrahim, Noor (14 September 2022). "Another Putin Ally Dead After 'Suffocating' on Business Trip". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 14 September 2022 – via Yahoo! News.
  24. ^ a b c Manning, Joshua (21 September 2022). "Former rector of Moscow Aviation Institute dies after "falling down flight of stairs"". EuroWeekly News.
  25. ^ a b c Ladden-Hall, Dan (21 September 2022). "Ex-Putin Ally Plunges to His Death 'From a Great Height' at Moscow Aviation Institute". The Daily Beast.
  26. ^ a b c "У Москві застрелився топменеджер дочірньої фірми «Російських залізниць» Павло Пчельников". Судово-юридична газета (in Ukrainian). 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  27. ^ a b c d Helen Bourdain (28 September 2022). "На росії раптово загинув топ-менеджер РЖД Пчельніков: подробиці". StopCor (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  28. ^ "Russian cryptocurrency billionaire killed in helicopter crash". NY Post. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  29. ^ "Direttore creativo precipita e muore in Russia durante una perquisizione in casa. «False accuse di pedofilia, era contro la guerra»" (in Italian). Il Gazzettino. 9 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  30. ^ "Baza: Бывший миллиардер Дмитрий Зеленов скончался во Франции" (in Russian). Vechernyaya Moskva. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  31. ^ McDougall, AJ; Houghtaling, Ellie Quinlan (18 December 2022). "Another Russian Oligarch, Dmitry Zelenov, Dies Under Mysterious Circumstances". Daily Beast. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  32. ^ "Two Russian men's deaths at Odisha hotel spark mystery, speculation". India Today. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  33. ^ "Two Russian men's deaths at Odisha hotel spark mystery, speculation". India Today. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  34. ^ https://amp.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3204717/indian-police-probe-deaths-russian-lawmaker-p. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  35. ^ "Russian Admiralty Shipyards head Alexander Buzakov dies — corporation". TASS. 24 December 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  36. ^ "Vice-President of "Vladmirsky Standart" company and MP of Vladimir legislative assembly Pavel Antov has died after falling out of the window of hotel in Rayagada, Odisha, India Rayagada,Odisha". Map of Latest News and incidents from Russia in English - russia.liveuamap.com.
  37. ^ Parker, Clarire; Ebel, Francesca (27 December 2022). "Russian sausage tycoon dies after falling from hotel in India". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  38. ^ Dias, Avani; Patidar, Som (28 December 2022). "Indian police launch criminal investigation into mysterious death of Russian oligarch". ABC News Australia. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  39. ^ McFall, Caitlin (28 December 2022). "Second sudden death of top official reported in Russia's military supply chain in less than a week". Fox News. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  40. ^ "УралВагонЗавод - УВЗ". Telegram. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  41. ^ "УралВагонЗавод - УВЗ". Telegram. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  42. ^ Quinn, Allison (29 December 2022). "Second Russian Defense Sector Bigwig Dies in Two Days". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  43. ^ "Vladimir Nesterov, tasked with achieving Putin's space race dreams, dies mysteriously - reports". Yahoo. Retrieved 30 December 2022.

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