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Suspicious deaths of notable Russians (2022–2024)

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The 2022 Russian businessmen mystery deaths are a series of unusual deaths of Russian-connected businessmen in 2022. Most of the deaths were officially declared to be suicides, but a number of commentators have suggested that the circumstances of the suicides appear to be suspicious and may have been staged.[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 2022. It all started 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]

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 been demanding 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,[6][7] 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][8] Likewise, 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]

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 Date of death Place found dead Circumstances Position
Leonid Shulman 30 January 2022 Leningrad Oblast residence's bathroom[4] Suicide note found next to his body.[4] Head of transport at Gazprom Invest.[9][5][4]
Alexander Tyulakov 25 February 2022 Saint Petersburg residence's garage[4] Suicide note found on his body.[4] Executive at Gazprom.[9][5][4]
Mikhail Watford 28 February 2022 Surrey residence's garage[4] British authorities have not found evidence of a crime.[4] Ukrainian-born Russian billionaire.[9][10][5][4]
Vasily Melnikov 23 March 2022 Nizhny Novgorod apartment[4] Wife and two sons were found dead beside him.[4] Russian businessman.[9][5] Owner of Medstorm.[4]
Vladislav Avayev 18 April 2022 Moscow luxury apartment[4] Wife and 13-year-old daughter were found dead beside him.[4] Former vice-president at Gazprombank.[9][5][11]
Sergey Protosenya 19 April 2022 Lloret de Mar, Spain residence's garden[4] Protosenya hanged from a handrail.[12] Wife and daughter were found dead in their beds with blunt axe hits[12] and stab wounds.[4] Former executive at Novatek.[9][5][11][4]
Andrei Krukovsky 2–3 May 2022 Sochi,[5] cliff near Achipse fortress [ru][11] Reportedly "fell of a cliff while hiking to Achipse fortress [ru]".[11] Manager of the Estosadok Krasnaya Polyana ski resort owned by Gazprom.[5][11]
Alexander Subbotin 8–9 May 2022 Moscow Jamaican shaman's basement[4] Reportedly died from a "drug-induced heart attack" during a shamanic ritual, though critics allege 'toad poison'.[4] Board member at Lukoil.[13][5]
Yuri Voronov 4 July 2022 Leningrad Oblast residence's pool[5] Gunshot wounds to the head, pistol found next to his body.[5] CEO of Astra-Shipping, a subcontractor to Gazprom.[5]
Dan Rapoport 14 August 2022 Washington D.C. luxury apartment Reportedly died in a fall from his apartment.[14] Latvian-born Russian businessman and outspoken Putin critic.[14]
Ravil Maganov 1 September 2022 Moscow, below a Kremlin Hospital's window[15] Reportedly hospitalised for heart problems and depression, then "fell out of a window".[15] Chairman of Russia's Lukoil oil giant[5]

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 | 07.05.2022". 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. ^ "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.
  7. ^ "'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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Mikhail Watford: Ukrainian oligarch's death investigated by Surrey Police". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ ""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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.


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