Five influential figures in Russia have died in recent weeks under conditions which remain rather vague.
Did these Russian millionaires really commit suicide? Last week, two oligarchs were found dead in their homes, less than 24 hours apart. The track favored by the police is that of the suicide although few elements allow to confirm it. The deaths of these two Russians are actually the continuation of a list of oligarchs who have died in mysterious conditions since the start of the invasion of Ukraine.
The most recent discovery therefore dates back to April 19. Sergey Protosenya, former vice-president of the gas giant Novatek, is found hanged in the garden of his villa in Lloret de Mar. His wife and daughter were found in their bed, their bodies covered with stab wounds. Two scenarios are retained by the Catalan police according to the Diari of Girona : either the Russian oligarch killed his wife and daughter, then hanged himself, or the whole family was murdered and the crime scene was later disguised as a murder-suicide.
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His fortune is estimated at 440 million dollars, who is this Russian who killed his wife and daughter in Lloret?
Murders followed by suicide as a “MOD”
The day before, the former vice-president of Gazprombank, Vladislav Avaevwas found dead in his apartment in Moscow, along with his wife and daughter. The apartment was locked from the inside and a gun was found in Avaev’s hands, leading investigators to explore the lead that Avaev shot and killed his wife and 13-year-old daughter before killing himself .
In #Moscowformer vice-president of “Gazprombank” Vladislav Avaev shot dead his wife and 13-year-old daughter, after which he committed suicide.
Previously, Avaev worked in the Office of the President and in the State Duma. pic.twitter.com/LUu3fSMszD
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 18, 2022
On March 24, the death of the billionaire is reported Vasily Melnikov in the bathroom of his apartment Nizhny Novgorodthe sixth largest city in the country. According to police investigations relayed by Newsweek, Melnikov, who allegedly worked for the medical company MedStom, was found dead in the apartment with his wife Galina and two sons. They are all believed to have died of stab wounds and the knives used in the murders were found at the crime scene. LInvestigators have concluded that Melnikov killed his 41-year-old wife and children, ages 10 and 4, before committing suicide.
In the energy industry
Ukrainian-born Russian oil and gas tycoon Mikhail Watford was found dead at his home in Surrey in the UK on February 28. It was his gardener who found him hanged in the garage of his house. Surrey Police said the circumstances surrounding his death were not, however, suspicious at this time, reports the BBC.
The day after the Russian invasion, it was the deputy director of Gazprom, Alexander Tyulyakov, who was found hanged in the garage of his residence, near Saint Petersburg. According to the independent Russian newspaper Novaya GazetaGazprom security personnel reportedly cordoned off the crime scene, preventing the police from working.