who were the twelve Russian oligarchs who died under mysterious circumstances?

Coincidence, coincidence or staging? Since the start of the war in Ukraine – and even a bit before – several Russian oligarchs have been found dead in strange circumstances, worthy of an Agatha Christie novel: hanging from a tree, at the bottom of a swimming pool, poisoned by a toad’s poison or after falling down a ladder…

A few days ago, it was Dmitry Zelenov, a Russian real estate magnate who lost his life when he fell down a ladder and then a railing, right after a drunken dinner in Antibes.

In all, for almost a year, those twelve years old died in the same condition. If the proximity of the dead and their close dates comes as a surprise, their relationship with Russian companies linked to the energy sector, such as Gazprom or Lukoil, is even more challenging. Authentic or not, this wave of suicides and accidents raises many questions, which for the time being remain unanswered.

January 30 – Leonid Shulman, committed suicide in the bathroom

One of the first reported deaths was that of Leonid Shulman, chief executive of Gazprom, a Russian company known for extracting, processing and transporting natural gas. He himself is the head of the transport department of Gazprom Invest, which manages the investment projects of the gas giant. The 60-year-old man died on January 30, 2022, less than a month before launch “special military operationsin Ukraine by Vladimir Putin – who currently uses the word “war” . He was found in the bathroom of his cottage in Russia’s St Petersburg area with a suicide note next to it.

February 25 – Alexander Tyulyakov, forensic pathologist fired

On February 25, the day after the invasion of Ukraine, Gazprom’s second leader died suddenly: Alexander Tyulyakov, the company’s chief financial officer. The 61-year-old man was found hanged in his garage near St. Petersburg. Just as the forensic pathologist was ready to analyze the scene, several large cars arrived, occupied by the Gazprom security services. The latter dispersed the police and closed the crime scene, said the Novaya Gazeta, Russian opposition media.

February 28 – Mikhail Watford, noose around his neck

On February 28, it was the turn of Mikhail Watford, a Russian billionaire who made his fortune in the oil and gas sector, to be found hanging in his garage. This time, the facts are not in Russia but in the western suburbs of London. Near here Guardian police resurrect death “unexplainable” without judging himsuspicious“. The British police found no clues other than suicide.

The 66-year-old billionaire was born Tolstosheïa. He moved to England in early 2000. From a portrait Sunday time since 2015, the man is making a lot of money from oil and gas. He moved from London to Surrey with his Estonian wife, Jane.

March 24 – Vasily Melnikov, triple murder

On March 24, Vasily Melnikov, a Russian billionaire, also apparently killed himself at his apartment in Nijni-Novgorod, in western Russia. Unlike the first two, the bodies of his wife and two children aged 4 and 10 were found nearby, impaled. He was later charged with three murders.

His neighbors and relatives were interviewed by the Russian daily Kommersant disagree. Instead, they depict a united family. Other media outlets say the 43-year-old, who runs the pharmaceutical group Medsom, is experiencing significant financial difficulties. According to the Ukrainian site Chaotic, the billionaire’s business is on the verge of collapse due to the sanctions imposed on Russia.

April 18 – Vladislav Avaev, apartment locked from the inside

Vladislav Avaev is a former vice president of Gazprombank, one of Russia’s largest lenders associated with Gazprom. He is also a former Putin official in the Kremlin and Duma. On April 18, 2022, the 51-year-old oligarch was found dead in his Moscow apartment, next to the bodies of his pregnant wife and 13-year-old daughter, riddled with bullet holes. According to the official version of Russian investigators, he was going to kill his family before committing suicide. American magazine news week noted that the man was carrying a firearm and the unit was locked from the inside.

Again, neighbors, quoted by New York Time, Do not believe. “He had no reason to do that, they might be killed“, he thought. Igor Volobuev, vice president of Gazprom bank who went into exile in Ukraine, said his former college student was killed. “This is staged suicide“, he told Insider media.

April 19 – Sergey Protosenya: rope, knife and ax

On April 19, Sergey Protoseny, 53, his wife and 18-year-old daughter were found dead in a house in the seaside resort of Lloret de Mar, Spain, where they had been vacationing. The Russian billionaire hung from a tree in the garden of his villa while his wife and daughter were found stabbed to death. A bloodstained ax and knife were found at the scene. Investigators suspect the businessman killed his wife and daughter while sleeping and then killed himself. The Spanish media raised the thesis of a triple murder disguised as a scene of a family drama.

Sergey Protosenya and his family live in Bordeaux. Her daughter is studying at the private Grand Lebrun High School. He presides over a personal fortune that totals 400 million euros, and is a former director of Novatek, Russia’s second gas company, where he still sits on the board of directors. He was previously the chief financial officer of the Russian oil company Tarkosaleneftega. Protoseny’s neighbors called them humble and smooth.

July 4 – Yuri Voronov: gun at the bottom of the pond

Yuri Voronov is a 61-year-old Russian businessman, head of the partner companies of the Gazprom group. He was found dead in the swimming pool of his residence in Saint Petersburg, Monday, July 4, with a bullet to the head. A gun was found at the bottom of the pool. Investigators could not determine whether it was suicide or murder, while the Russian commission’s investigation preferred the trail of disputes “with business partners“. His widow believed that he was a victim of deception by collaborators.

May 10 – Alexander Subbotin and Toad Venom

Alexander Subbotin is a former senior official with the Russian oil group Lukoil, Russia’s largest oil producer. Lukoil was among the few companies that opposed the war in Ukraine. On May 19, after a night of drunkenness, the 43-year-old went to a shaman he knew, nicknamed Magua Flores, on the outskirts of Moscow. The latter sliced ​​the skin to pour the toad poison into it. He then vomits and has chest pains after ingesting the poison and suffers a heart attack.

September 1 – Ravil Maganov, fell from a hospital window

Ravil Maganov is a Russian businessman. He is one of the oldest leaders of the Lukoil oil company, which he co-founded 30 years ago. According to Loukoil, it was he who came up with the name of the company. His death was announced on September 1. According to his company, he died from a serious illness. However, some versions are against. The news agencies Tass and Interax claimed that he killed himself by defending himself from the sixth floor of the hospital where he was being treated for heart problems.

September 10 – Ivan Pechorin, boat trip

At 39, Ivan Pechorin is the director of the Russian Far East and Arctic Development Company. He was primarily tasked by Vladimir Putin with optimizing the energy and mining resources of eastern Russia, to counter international sanctions since the war in Ukraine. On September 10, the 40-year-old lifeless body was found in the Sea of ​​Japan, east of Russia. He allegedly fell overboard from a sailboat when he couldn’t swim, it said Daily mail . Russian media said he was drunk when he fell into the water.

September 21 – Anatoly Gerashchenko: those“accident”

Anatoly Gerashchenko, 72, is Russia’s leading aviation scientist and expert. On Sept. 21, the man died under suspicious circumstances, according to his employer. He will die onaccident“the Moscow institute said in a press release. He allegedly fell down a stairway where the railing had not been installed while he was visiting a construction site, the media reported Moskovsky Komsomolets, a Russian tabloid. The daily added that he had been nearly blind in one eye for some time.

December 9 – Dmitry Zelenov: fall of the ledge

Dmitry Zelenov is a Russian real estate magnate. Around midnight on December 9, after having dinner with friends in Antibes, he reportedly felt dizzy on the stairs. He was about to fall off the railing, detailed a Russian news site Baza. The article stated that the 50-year-old man had heart problems and had undergone vascular surgery shortly before his death. Grasse’s prosecutor’s office determined that he died on December 10. According to local media, he died of head trauma after being taken to the Pasteur hospital in Nice. According to the Italian press, Zelenov recently criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

More suspicious deaths

Indian police announced on Tuesday (27 December) that they are investigating the sudden death of a wealthy Russian politician who allegedly posted posts critical of the war in Ukraine and his traveling companion at a luxury hotel in eastern India. body from Pavel Antov, 65, a member of the regional parliament in Russia, was found in a pool of blood outside the hotel where he had spent his holiday with three other Russians. He apparently fell to his death from the hotel terrace.

Two days earlier, another member of the Russian touring group, Vladimir Bidenov, was found unconscious in the same hotel, turned out to be a victim of a heart attack, and could not be revived. According to the police chief, the heart attack that led to the death of Vladimir Bidenov was caused by alcohol abuse and a possible drug overdose. As for Pavel Antov, “he may be distracted by the death of his friend and go to the hotel terrace, from where he may fall to his death.“, did he state.