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Since the beginning of 2022, numerous Russia-related people, particularly businessmen and officials, have died under what some sources suggest were suspicious circumstances.[2][3][4][5] Incidents include individuals who have suspiciouslyfallen out of windows, killed themselves, and died unexpectedly in accidents.
On 3 June 2022, the DutchNOS news network described the phenomenon as "a grim series of Russian billionaires, many from theoil 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 giantGazprom, was found dead in the bathroom of his country house in the Leningrad region. Beside his body was a suicide note."[5] 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".[6] It referred to a previous investigation byUSA Today, which concluded that "38 Russian businessmen and oligarchs close to the Kremlin died in mysterious or suspicious circumstances between 2014 and 2017."[6] The phenomenon has been called "sudden Russian death syndrome" or "sudden oligarch death syndrome", a play onsudden arrhythmic death syndrome.[7][8] A number of them died by falling from heights, including possiblybeing thrown out of windows.[8]
Some commentators ruled out suicides or poor health.[9] Other commentators, includingFiona Hill andMark Galeotti, are skeptical of such conspiracies.[9] 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 towipe out competitors without a centralized Kremlin effort.
The suicide rate in Russia is the third-highest in the world,[9] and similar trends have been noted in 2020 about doctors who have treatedCOVID-19 patients falling from high windows.[9] Suicides could be further increased especially in the Russian business community due to substantial pressure from the war in Ukraine and international sanctions.[9]
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.[5]Igor Volobuyev [uk], the Ukrainian-born ex-vice-chairman ofGazprombank, who left Russia during the outbreak of the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and joined theFreedom of Russia Legion,[10][11] said in an interview withThe 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."[5][12] Likewise, Sergey Protosenya's son, who was not in Spain when his parents and sister were found dead inLloret 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.[5] Protosenya was the former CEO of gas giantNovatek, which published a statement saying he was "a real family man", and called on the Spanish authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation.[5]
Businessman and critic of the Russian federal governmentBill Browder has opined that Putin is personally ordering executions of influential business leaders in critical sectors whom he feels will not beyes-men and intimidates their successors with threats of death or violence.[13] In Russianmokroye 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.[7]
According to an investigative report byNovaya 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 theFSB and Russian military.[14]
| 2022 Deaths | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total: 38 |
| Name | Age at death | Position | Date of death | Count of deaths | Place body was discovered | Circumstances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ||||||
| Leonid Shulman | 60 | Director of Transport ofGazprom[15][6][5] | 30 January 2022 | 1 |  Bathroom of a residence inLeningrad Oblast[5] | Suicide note found next to his body.[5] |
| February | ||||||
| Igor Nosov [tt] | 43 | CEO of theFar East and Arctic Development Corporation (KRDV) and formerDeputy governor ofNizhny Novgorod Oblast | 8 February 2022 | 1 | Moscow | Reportedly suffered a stroke.[16] |
| Alexander Tyulakov | 61 | Deputy General Director of the Unified Settlement Center ofGazprom[15][6][5] | 25 February 2022 | 1 | Garage of a residence inSaint Petersburg[5] | Suicide note found on his body.[5] |
| Mikhail Watford | 66 | Businessman[15][17][6][5] | 28 February 2022 | 1 |  Garage of a residence inSurrey, England[5] | British authorities have not found evidence of a crime.[5] |
| March | ||||||
| Vasily Melnikov | 43 | CEO and owner of Medstorm[15][6][5] | 23 March 2022 | 4 | Apartment inNizhny Novgorod[5] | Wife and two sons found dead beside him.[5] |
| April | ||||||
| Vladislav Avayev | 51 | Former Vice President ofGazprombank[15][6][18] | 18 April 2022 | 3 | Apartment in Moscow[5] | Wife and 13-year-old daughter found dead beside him.[5] |
| Sergey Protosenya | 55 | Former Deputy Chairman ofNovatek.[15][6][18][5] | 19 April 2022 | 3 |  Garden of a residence inLloret de Mar, Spain[5] | Hanged from a handrail;[19] wife and daughter found dead in their beds with blunt axe wounds[19] and stab wounds.[5] |
| May | ||||||
| Andrei Krukovsky | 37 | General Director of theEstosadokKrasnaya Polyana, a ski resort owned by Gazprom[6][18] | 1 May 2022 | 1 | Below a cliff near theAchipse Fortress [ru] inSochi[6][18] | Reportedly fell off a cliff while hiking toAchipse Fortress [ru].[18] |
| Alexander Subbotin | 43 | Board member ofLukoil[20][6] | 8 May 2022 | 1 | Basement of Aleksei Pindyurin's residence in Moscow[5][21] | Reportedly arrived at the residence under the influence of alcohol and drugs to participate in a ritual intended to relieve the hangover, and then died of a heart attack, though critics allege toad poison.[5] |
| June | ||||||
| Alexei Ogarev | 64 | Former senior Kremlin official, diplomat, arms dealer and oil business executive | 16 June 2022 | 1 | Rublevka, Russia | Found dead.[22][23][24] |
| Yevgeniy Palant | 47 | Telephone mogul and philanthropist | 27 June 2022 | 2 | Zarechye, Russia | Found dead together with his wife Olga with multiple stab wounds.[25][26][27] |
| July | ||||||
| Yuri Voronov | 61 | CEO of Astra Shipping, a subcontractor of Gazprom[6] | 4 July 2022 | 1 | Swimming pool of a residence in Leningrad Oblast[6] | Gunshot wounds to the head, pistol found next to his body.[6] |
| August | ||||||
| Dan Rapoport | 52 | Businessman[28] | 14 August 2022 | 1 |  2400M StreetNW, Washington, D.C., United States | Found in the street after an apparent fall from his high rise apartment building.[28] |
| September | ||||||
| Ravil Maganov | 67 | Chair ofLukoil[6] | 1 September 2022 | 1 | Below a window of theKremlin Hospital, Moscow[29] | Reportedly hospitalised for heart problems and depression, then "fell out of a window".[29][30] |
| Ivan Pechorin | 39 | Director of Aviation of the Russian Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (KRDV) | 10 September 2022[31][32] | 1 | On a beach inBeregovoy,Amur Oblast | Drowned at Cape Ignatyev,Vladivostok; body found washed up in Beregovoy two days later;[32] allegedly fell from his boat.[33] |
| Vladimir Sungorkin [ru] | 68 | Editor-in-chief ofKomsomolskaya Pravda | 14 September 2022[34] | 1 | Roshchino [ru],Khabarovsky District,Khabarovsk Krai | Reportedly suffered a stroke and suffocated while on the way to lunch,[34] his deputy would die a year later.[35] |
| Anatoly Gerashchenko [ru] | 72 | Former Head of theMoscow Aviation Institute | 21 September 2022[36][37] | 1 | Stairway within the Moscow Aviation Institute[36][37] | Reportedly fell down a flight of stairs inside the institute.[36][37] |
| Pavel Pchelnikov | 52 | Director of Digital Logistics, aRussian Railways subsidiary[38][39] | 28 September 2022[39] | 1 | On the balcony of an apartment in Moscow[38][39] | Allegedly shot himself on the balcony of his apartment.[38][39] |
| October | ||||||
| Nikolay Petrunin | 46 | Deputy of theState Duma | 12 October 2022 | 1 | Unnamed hospital in Moscow | Alleged complications ofCOVID-19.[40][41] |
| November | ||||||
| ColonelVadim Boyko | 44 | Deputy head of theMakarov Pacific Higher Naval School, involved in mobilization efforts | 16 November 2022 | 1 | Office atMakarov Pacific Higher Naval School,Vladivostok | Reportedly died by suicide after shooting himself in the chest five times.[42][43] |
| Vyacheslav Taran | 53 | Co-founder ofLibertex, a cryptocurrency andforeign exchange market company | 25 November 2022[44] | 1 |  Villefranche-sur-Mer,French Riviera, France | Died in helicopter crash after taking off from Switzerland.[45] |
Vladimir Makei | 64 | Foreign Minister ofBelarus (2012–2022) | 26 November 2022 | 1 | Unknown, likely Minsk, Belarus | Reported to have died four days after returning from aCollective Security Treaty Organization summit inArmenia accompanying representatives ofVladimir Putin.[46] He was said by his friends to have been "painfully upset" by the collapse of the course he was leading.[47] |
| December | ||||||
| Grigory Kochenov | 41 | Creative Director of Agima, an IT company | 7 December 2022 | 1 | Volodarsky Street, Nizhny Novgorod | Reportedly fell to his death from his balcony while officials from theInvestigative Committee executed asearch warrant for his apartment.[48] |
| Dmitriy Zelenov | 50 | Co-founder of Donstroy, a construction company | 9 December 2022 | 1 | Antibes, French Riviera, France | Reportedly felt ill and fell over a railing and hit his head, later died in hospital without regaining consciousness.[49][50] |
| Alexander Lapin | Former head of Krasnoyarsk’s landscaping and green construction authority | 11 December 2022 | 1 | the Investigative Committee office inKrasnoyarsk, Russia | Fell from a seventh-floor window of an Investigative Committee office during questioning in a corruption case, with security footage said to show him sitting on the windowsill before the fall.[51] | |
| Vladimir Bidenov | 61 | Business associate and travel companion ofPavel Antov | 22 December 2022 | 1 |  Hotel Sai International,Rayagada,Odisha, India | Died of heart problems; two days later his close companion,Pavel Antov, also died at the same hotel under suspicious circumstances.[52][53] |
| Alexander Buzakov [ru] | 66 | Director General of theAdmiralty Shipyards | 24 December 2022 | 1 | Saint Petersburg | Died suddenly the day after he attended the float-out ceremony of the newLada class submarineVelikie Luki [ru]. No explanation was given on the cause of death.[54] |
| Pavel Antov | 65 | Founder of Vladmirsky Standart, a meat processing company, and deputy (member) of theLegislative Assembly of Vladimir Oblast | 1 | Below a window of Hotel Sai International, Rayagada, Odisha, India | Fell out of window from Hotel Sai International;[55] another Russian colleague, Vladimir Bidenov, died in the same hotel two days prior.[56][57] | |
| Alexei Maslov | 69 | Former Commander-in-Chief of theRussian Ground Forces and special representative ofUralvagonzavod.[58][59] | 1 | Died "unexpectedly" in a military hospital, no cause given.[58] | ||
| Vladimir Nesterov | 73 | Director General of theKhrunichev State Research and Production Space Center | 28 December 2022[60] | 1 | Unknown | |
| 2023 Deaths | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total: 34 |
| Name | Age at death | Position | Date of death | Count of deaths | Place body was discovered | Circumstances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | |||||||
| Magomed Abdulaev | 61 | FormerChairman of the Government of the Republic of Dagestan [ru] | 5 January 2023 | 1 | Makhachkala,Dagestan | Died at a hospital after being hit by a car while crossing a street.[61] | |
| Dmitry Pavochka | 49 | Former manager ofRoscosmos,Sukhoi,Lukoil,Bank Menatep and Russdragmet, while presently or formerly involved with many others. | 26 January 2023 | 1 | 17th floor of a building onLeningradsky Avenue, Moscow | Burned alive after falling asleep with a lit cigarette.[62] | |
| February | |||||||
| Vladimir Makarov | 72 | Former Deputy Chief of the Russian Interior Ministry’s MainDirectorate for Combating Extremism. | 13 February 2023 | 1 | At his suburban home northwest of Moscow | State-run TASS news agency reported him found dead, in an apparent suicide, following his dismissal by President Vladimir Putin.[63][64] | |
| Marina Yankina | 58 | Head of Finance and Procurement of theWestern Military District | 16 February 2023 | 1 | House on Zamshina Street, St. Petersburg | Found dead after falling from a window on the 16th-floor of a high-rise building.[65][66][67] | |
| Viatcheslav Rovneiko | 59 | Oil magnate, co-founder of Urals Energy, co-owner of Belgian oil companyNafta (B) NV, director of Interregional Fuel Union; ex-KGB spy. | 22 February 2023 | 1 | Unspecified gated village near Moscow | Found unconscious in his house; subsequent medical help could not save his life.[68][69] | |
| April | |||||||
| Igor Shkurko | 49 | Deputy director ofYakutskenergo [ru]. | 4 April 2023 | 1 | Pre-trial detention center inYakutsk | Found dead in his cell; allegedly suicide.[70] | |
| May | |||||||
| Pyotr Kucherenko | 46 | State Secretary and Deputy Minister ofScience and Higher Education of the Russian Federation | 20 May 2023 | 1 | Mineralnye Vody Airport,Stavropol Krai | Died after falling ill on board a flight from Cuba to Russia.[71][72][73] | |
| June | |||||||
| Yuri Demin | 62 | Former head of the State Inspectorate for Road Safety for theSverdlovsk Oblast | 4 June 2023 | 1 | Sysert,Sverdlovsk Oblast | Found dead after falling from the second floor of his dacha during construction work.[74] | |
| Artyom Bartenev | 42 | Federal Judge of the Kirovsky District Court | 8 June 2023 | 1 | Underneath his apartment inKazan,Tatarstan | Found dead after falling 12 stories from his apartment window.[74][75] | |
| Anatoly Beryozikov | 40 | Anti-war activist | 14 June 2023 | 1 | In his cell in Rostov-on-Don | He was in custody for minor offenders, scheduled to be released. Had his ribs broken, stun gun bruises. Died reportedly from suicide.[76][77][78] | |
| Grigory Klinishov | 92 | Physicist and co-creator of the Soviethydrogen bombRDS-37. | 17 June 2023 | 1 | Inside his apartment in Moscow | Found dead in his apartment from an apparent suicide, leaving a note.[79][80] | |
| Kristina Baikova | 28 | Vice-president ofLoko-Bank [ru], head of department for work with corporate clients. | 24 June 2023 | 1 | Underneath her apartment in Khodynsky Boulevard, Moscow | Fell off her apartment at the 11th floor; circumstances of the incident have not yet been clarified.[81] | |
| July | |||||||
| Andrei Fomin | 57 | Prosecutor ofChuvashia (since 2020) | 1 July 2023 | 1 | In theVolga river nearCheboksary | Fell ill while swimming in the Volga river and drowned.[82][83] | |
| Aleksey Avramenko | 46 | Minister of Transport and Communications of Belarus (since 2019) | 4 July 2023 | 1 | Unknown | Died suddenly.[84][85] | |
| Alexander Nikolayev [ru] | 72 | Former Consul General of Russia toCrimea, and former Ambassador of Russia toBangladesh | July 2023 | 1 | Konakovo, Tver Oblast | Beaten up near his home and died three weeks later.[86][87] | |
| Natalia Bochkareva | 44 | Daughter of former Governor of Penza OblastVasily Bochkarev. Managed her family's lumber-processing and bakery businesses | 14 July 2023 | 1 | Moscow | Found dead inside her apartment.[88] | |
| Anton Cherepennikov [ru] | 40 | Billionaire owner and head of state-affiliated company Citadel specializing in digital wiretapping equipment and telecommunications monitoring technology, sanctioned by the US in February 2023[89] | 22 July 2023 | 1 | Moscow | Found dead in his office.[90] | |
| August | |||||||
| Gennady Lopyrev | 69 | Former lieutenant-general in theFederal Protective Service and overseer of construction projects includingPutin's palace. | 16 August 2023 | 1 | IK-3 prison colony,Ryazan Oblast | Imprisoned in the IK-3 prison in 2017 for takingbribes, charges he denied in 2016. Died ofleukemia two days after diagnosis. News agencies reported no previous signs of the illness.[91] | |
| Yevgeny Prigozhin | 62 | Russian oligarch,mercenary,Wagner Group co-founder and leader, and former close confidant of Russian presidentVladimir Putin until he launcheda brief rebellion on 23 June 2023, exactly two months prior. | 23 August 2023 | 10 | Kuzhenkino,Bologovsky District,Tver Oblast | See also:2023 Wagner Group plane crash AnEmbraer Legacy 600 business jet with registration number RA-02795 crashed during a regular high-altitude flight fromMoscow toSaint Petersburg.[92][93] Prigozhin, Utkin, and Chekalov were killed along with two Wagner veterans, two bodyguards, and the three flight staff.[94] According to Wagner Group, the plane was shot down by air defenses,[95] however according to the US government and aviation experts, the plane was downed by a bomb onboard or other sabotage.[96][97][98][99][100][95] | |
| Dmitry Utkin | 53 | Former special forces officer in theGRU, co-founder ofWagner Group, recipient of fourOrders 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 inLibya andSyria. | |||||
| October | |||||||
| Vladimir Nekrasov | 66 | Chairman ofLukoil | October | 1 | Died of acute heart failure.[101] | ||
| November | |||||||
| Vladimir Sviridov | 68 | Former lieutenant-general of the6th Air and Air Defence Forces Army | November 2023 | 2 | Andzhievsky,Stavropol Krai | Found dead at home with his wife.[102][103] | |
| December | |||||||
| Anna Tsavera | 35 | Deputy editor-in-chief ofKomsomolskaya Pravda | "early" December | 1 | Moscow | Found dead in her apartment, her boss Vladimir Sungorkin died suddenly the year prior.[104][105] | |
| Evgeny Postrigan | 50 | Chief accountant at sanctionedInformation Satellite Systems Reshetnev | December 2023 | 1 | Zheleznogorsk, Siberia | Found dead at the garage of his property, cause of death asphyxiation.[106] | |
| Vladimir Egorov | 46 | Deputy of theTobolsk City Duma | 27 December 2023 | 1 | Tobolsk,Tyumen Oblast | Found dead in the yard of his home from suspected three-story fall from building.[107] | |
| 2024 Deaths | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total: 17 |
| Name | Age at death | Position | Date of death | Count of deaths | Place body was discovered | Circumstances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ||||||
| Zoya Konovalova | 48 | Editor-in-chief of the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company Kuban | 5 January 2024 | 2 | Krasnodar Krai | Died alongside her ex-husband in a suspected poisoning incident.[108] |
| Alexander Rybin | 39 | Russian journalist; freelanced for pro-Kremlin media while also working for pro-democratic platformRabkor. | 6 January 2024 | 1 | Shakhty | Body was found dead near a highway.[109][110] |
| February | ||||||
| Ivan Sechin | 35 | Employee ofRosneft. Son and heir apparent of Rosneft CEOIgor Sechin | 5 February 2024 | 1 | Moscow | Complained of kidney pain at his home mansion overnight and died within hours after ambulances failed to arrive in time, due to the security service providing the wrong address. Cause of death officially diagnosed as a blood clot. His father, Igor Sechin, blamed the Rosneft security service.The Daily Beast called it "bizarre circumstances".[111] |
| Maxim Kuzminov | 28 | Pilot | 13 February 2024 | 1 | After defecting to Ukraine, he was shot dead in Spain.[112] | |
| Alexei Navalny | 47 | Russianopposition leader and anti-corruption activist | 16 February 2024 | 1 | Kharp Yamalia | Federal Penitentiary Service stated thathe had died in prison in Yamalo-Nenets in Western Siberia after taking a walk and feeling unwell that morning.[113][114] |
| Andrey Morozov | 44 | Military blogger and war correspondent, former military combatant | 21 February 2024 | 1 | After posting about Russian casualties in theBattle of Avdiivka to his Telegram channel, Morozov deleted the post, claiming to be under orders by military command. The next day, he posted a suicide note blamingVladimir Solovyov and killed himself by firearm.[115] | |
| March | ||||||
| Vitaly Robertus | 53 | Vice president ofLukoil | 13 March 2024 | 1 | Moscow | Reportedly committed suicide. He was found hanged in his Moscow office on 13 March 2024.[116][117][118] |
| May | ||||||
| Aleksandr Surikov | 68 | Ambassador of Russia toMozambique | 11 May 2024 | 1 |  Maputo | Found dead at his home. Russian authorities denied a request for an autopsy fromMaputo Central Hospital. An unsubstantiated report from theMinistry of Foreign Affairs viaTASS listed the preliminary cause of death as a stroke.[119][120] |
| June | ||||||
| Natalia Larina | 50 | Former judge of Moscow’s Tagansky District Court, involved in high-profile political cases | 5 June 2024 | 1 | Moscow | Found dead after falling from her apartment in a high-rise building in Moscow 2024.[121] |
| Dzianis Sidarenka | 48 | Ambassador ofBelarus toGermany | 24 June 2024 | 1 | Minsk | Found dead after falling out of a window after interrogation, suspected suicide.[122] |
| July | ||||||
| Valentina Bondarenko | 82 | Economist at theInstitute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences | 23 July 2024 | 1 | Moscow | Found dead after falling out of the window of her Moscow-area apartment building.[123] |
| Georgy Chibisov | 44 | Marketing Director of theMoscow Exchange | 27 July 2024 | 1 | Moskva river near Moscow | Found drowned in the river after falling off of a cruise ship while trying to use its diving platform alone.[124] |
| September | ||||||
| Victoria Roshchyna | 27 | Ukrainian freelance journalist forUkrainska Pravda,Radio Free Europe,[125] andHromadske.[126] Reported on theRussian invasion of Ukraine and theSiege of Mariupol. | 19 September 2024 | 1 | Russia | Died in Russian detention, reportedly while being transferred to Moscow from a prison in Taganrog as part of a prisoner swap.[127] |
| October | ||||||
| Mikhail Rogachev | 64 | Former vice president ofYukos, former executive director ofONEXIM Group, former deputy general director ofNorilsk Nickel | 20 October 2024 | 1 | Moscow | Found dead after falling out of the window of his Moscow-area apartment building.[128] |
| November | ||||||
| Alexei Zimin | 52 | TV Chef and restaurant owner | 12 November 2024 | 1 |  Belgrade | Found dead in his hotel room. Zimin had previously criticised Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He spent his final years exiled in the UK.[129] |
| Vladimir Shklyarov | 39 | Ballet dancer | 16 November 2024 | 1 | Saint Petersburg | Fell from the fifth floor of his apartment building, reportedly trying to escape from his apartment. In 2022, he had strongly criticized Putin's war in Ukraine in a social media post.[130] |
| 2025 Deaths | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total: 13 |
| Name | Age at death | Position | Date of death | Count of deaths | Place body was discovered | Circumstances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | ||||||
| Artur Priakhin | 56 | Head of theFederal Antimonopoly Service in the republic ofKarelia | 4 February 2025 | 1 | Petrozavodsk | Was found dead outside his office after having fallen from a fifth-floor window from an unspecified office.[131] |
| Vadim Stroykin | 59 | Musician | 5 February 2025 | 1 | St. Petersburg | Fell from a ninth-floor window of his apartment, while being investigated by security services for donating to the Ukrainian army.[132] |
| March | ||||||
| Buvaisar Saitiev | 49 | Former State Duma lawmaker from Dagestan and multiple-time Olympic and World Champion infreestyle wrestling | 2 March 2025 | 1 | Moscow | Fell from the window of his third-floor apartment on Minskaya Street in Moscow. He reportedly had no visible injuries afterwards, and could not explain what had happened to him. On March 2, Saitiev was reported dead in a Moscow hospital after being admitted with fractures to his pelvis, ribs, and spine. Early medical assessments considered possible poisoning, while some reports suggested he had lung disease and used strong painkillers, with death potentially resulting from cardiac arrest due to intoxication.[133] |
| July | ||||||
| Andrei Badalov | 62 | A vice president of Russian oil pipeline companyTransneft | 4 July 2025 | 1 | Moscow | Badalov's body was found below a window in front of a house inRublyovka. Russian police classified the death as a suicide.[134] |
| Roman Starovoyt | 53 | RussianMinister of Transport, dismissed on the same day | Before 7 July 2025 | 1 | Moscow | According to the Russian media, quoted by Reuters, Starovoyt "has shot himself".[135][1] |
| Andrey Korneichuk | 42 | An official from theFederal Agency for Rail Transport | 7 July 2025 | 1 | Moscow | Russian state media reported that Korneichuk possibly died from "acute heart failure" while in his office.[136][137] |
| August | ||||||
| Mikhail Kenin | 57 | The largest shareholder of Russian property developer Samolet Group | 10 August 2025 | 1 | Samolet Group announced his death in a press release without revealing the cause of his death.[138] | |
| Dmitri Osipov | 59 | CEO ofUralkali, PJSCVSMPO-AVISMA Corporation, until on April 4, 2023, he left the company "due to personal circumstances." | 12 August 2025 | 1 | According to the Uralkali communication he died "suddenly", and no cause of death was specified.[139] | |
| September | ||||||
| Alexey Sinitsyn | CEO of potash producer K-Potash Service | 8 September 2025 | 1 | Solnechnoye,Kaliningrad | Sinitsyn's decapitated body was found under a bridge in Kaliningrad Oblast. According to RIA Novosti, his body had a tow rope attached to it.[140] | |
| Alexander Tyunin | 50 | general director of NPK Khimprominzhiniring, a subsidiary of the state-owned nuclear giant Rosatom | 19 September 2025 | 1 | Kokoshkino,Moscow | Tyunin's body was found besides a hunting rifle and a note in a road in Kokoshkino. Russian police reported his death as a suicide.[141] |
| Alexander Fedotov | 49 | former chairman of the Committee on Transportation Infrastructure Development of St Petersburg | 24 September 2025 | 1 | Sheremetyevo International Airport,Moscow | His body was found below the window of a hotel room at Sheremetyevo Airport, with suicide suspected as the cause of death.[142] |
| Vitaly Kapustin | 43 | local deputy in the Krasnodar region’sTikhoretsky District Council | 25 September 2025 | 1 | Novorozhdestvenskaya,Krasnodar Krai | Kapustin was found hanged in a tree from a cable conected to his SUV, his hands were tied behind his back.[143] |
| October | ||||||
| Vyacheslav Leontyev | 87 | former head of thePravda publishing house | 5 October 2025 | 1 | Moscow | Alleged fall from a window of his apartment on the fifth floor.[144][145] |
...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.
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.[Sergey had hung from an outside railing. [...] The agents believe that he first struck the victims' heads with the back of the axe and, once unconscious, killed them with a kknif.]
None of this, of course, is proof that Prigozhin and his entourage were deliberately targeted. But given the circumstances any claims that his demise, if confirmed, was an accident will see a lot of eyebrows raised.
_Dec_2024.jpg){kind=icon}
