The Grim Business of Being Russian
Suspicious deaths suggest in fighting among Russian elite
On December 7th a MurderPM post went out about suspicious deaths in the crypto world. Research for that story revealed another story; a wider collection of suspicious deaths within the Russian business community, which fits a pattern that’s wider still, and dates back to 2012.
During 2022, multiple strange deaths of connected Russian businessmen have occured, sometimes including their immediate family members.
When the wiki article listing these suspicious deaths was first written, it listed only nine Russians deeply connected to the circles of Russian power. Today, the list contains 17 names. Even while writing this article, another has died:
If you push the timeline back to 2012, that number grows to 55. 56 if you include Darya Dugina, 29, who died earlier this year after her car exploded in Moscow.
It is thought her father, the Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin, a.k.a"Putin's brain", may have been the intended target of the August 20, 2022 car bombing. Mr Dugin is a prominent ultra-nationalist who is close to the Russian president and is considered his “personal philosopher”.
On June 3 2022, the Dutch NOS (Nederlandse Omroep Stichting or Dutch Broadcasting Foundation; part of Netherlands Public Broadcasting system) 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.” All have links to the Kremlin.
The first was on January 30, 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.
A previous investigation by USA Today found "38 Russian businessmen and oligarchs close to the Kremlin died in mysterious or suspicious circumstances between 2014 and 2017."
Igor Volobuyev, the Ukrainian-born ex-vice-chairman of Gazprombank, left Russia during the outbreak of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. He said in an interview with The Insider 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."
Likewise, Sergey Protosenya's son, who was not in Spain when his parents and sister were found dead in Lloret de Mar, stated"my father is not a murderer", and insists his parents and sister were murdered by someone else.
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.
The dead include:
Leonid Shulman Director of transport of Gazprom January 30 2022 Leningrad found in his Oblast residence's bathroom. A suicide note found next to his body
Igor NosovCEO of the Russian Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (KRDV) and former deputy governor of Nizhny Novgorod February 8 2022 in Moscow, reportedly he suffered a stroke.
Alexander Tyulakov Deputy general director of the Unified Settlement Center of Gazprom February 25 2022 was found in his Saint Petersburg residence's garage. A suicide note was found on his body
Mikhail Watford Businessman February 28 2022 found in his Surrey residence's garage. British authorities have not found evidence of a crime
Vasily Melnikov CEO and owner of Medstorm March 23 2022 in his Nizhny Novgorod apartment his wife and two sons found dead beside him.
Vladislav Avayev Former vice president of Gazprombank April 18 2022 in his Moscow luxury apartment his wife and 13-year-old daughter found dead beside him.
Sergey Protosenya Former deputy chairman of Novatek. April 19 2022 Lloret de Mar, Spain in his residence's garden, hanged from a handrail; wife and daughter found dead in their beds with blunt axe hits and stab wounds.
Andrei Krukovsky General director of the Estosadok Krasnaya Polyana ski resort owned by Gazprom May 2–3 2022 Sochi, at a cliff near Achipse Fortress. Reportedly fell off a cliff while hiking to Achipse Fortress.
Alexander Subbotin Board member of Lukoil May 8–9 2022 Moscow, Jamaican found in a shaman's basement, he reportedly died from a "drug-induced heart attack" during a shamanic ritual, though critics allege "poison”
Yuri Voronov CEO of Astra Shipping, a subcontractor of Gazprom July 4 2022 Leningrad Oblast in his residence's pool died of gunshot wounds to the head, pistol found next to his body
Dan Rapoport Businessman August 14 2022 Washington D.C. luxury apartment Reportedly died in a fall from his apartment
Darya Dugina, 29, who died August 20 2022 after her car exploded in Moscow.
Ravil Maganov Chairman of Lukoil September 1 2022 Moscow, below a Kremlin Hospital's window he was reportedly hospitalised for heart problems and depression, then "fell out of a window"
Ivan Pechorin Aviation director of the Russian Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (KRDV) September 10 2022 found when he washed up at Beregovoe, 160 kilometres (100 mi) from Vladivostok Drowned at Cape Ignatyev, Vladivostok; body found in Beregovoe two days later; allegedly fell from his boat
Vladimir Sungorkin Editor-in-chief of Komsomolskaya Pravda September 14 2022 Village of Roshchino, Khabarovsk Krai he reportedly suffered a stroke and suffocated while on the way to lunch
Anatoly Gerashchenko Former Head of Moscow Aviation Institute September 21 2022 Moscow he fell down a flight of stairs inside the institute
Pavel Pchelnikov Director of Digital Logistics, a Russian Railways subsidiary September 28 2022 in his Moscow apartment allegedly shot himself on the balcony of his apartment
Nikolai Mushegian Cryptocurrency Entrepreneur and MakerDAO Co-founder October 28 2022 Drowned in Puerto Rico hours after tweeting he was afraid the CIA or Mossad would kill him
Tiantian Kullander Co-founder of Amber Group and Cryptocurrency Entrepreneur November 23 2022 Died unexpectedly in his sleep from unknown causes
Vyacheslav Taran Co-founder of Libertex, a forex exchange November 29 2022 Villefranche-sur-Mer Died in a helicopter crash after taking off from Switzerland
Grigory Kochenov Creative director of IT company Agima 7 December 2022 Nizhny Novgorod Fell to his death from his balcony while police officers were supposedly conducting a search of his apartment
Dmitriy Zelenov Co-founder of construction company Don-Stroy December 9 2022 Antibes Reportedly felt ill and fell over a railing and hit his head, later died in the ER without regaining consciousness
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.
Garry Kasparov, an outspoken critic of the Kremlin, told The Daily Beast that this is the end for Vladimir Putin. “Russia has obviously lost the war, which will lead to the collapse of the regime but the question is how many more people will die before that happens,” he said.
“The Kremlin canceling Putin’s big press conference is a sign: they realize how hopeless their situation is—this is a dead end, his plan has failed in Ukraine,” Kremlin observer Olga Bychkova said. “They are still standing by him, since without Putin they are finished; but now they are even unable to write a script, think of questions and answers for him.”
There are recurring rumours of the dictator's poor health, with some believing he may have cancer. According to insiders, there were two key meetings on Thursday December 15, 2022 where he had to stay in the same position and sit on a special cushion.
There are reports that his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is “drinking because he is depressed” and is suffering “health problems". Others are reportedly plotting a coup, while another close aide is lying low and preparing to act as kingmaker. One report claims Kremlin's top chef, Yevgeny Progozhin, will be the man to initiate a coup against Putin.
Prigozhin, 61, is more than just a Kremlin chef, with his own private army he is thought to have recruited tens of thousands of mercenaries to fight in Ukraine.
A rival to Prigozhin could be security chief Nikolai Patrushev, 71, who is also thought to be keeping a low profile, while an ex-prime minister, Sergei Kiryenko, is also rumoured to be harboring ambitions of power.
Meanwhile there are other claims that a plan callled Operation Noah’s Ark is underway to find a safe haven for Putin if he has to flee from Russia.
Valery Solovey, a former professor at Moscow’s Institute of International Relations, said the Putin had recently cancelled several major appearances including his state of the union address as it is “very difficult for him physically to withstand a long and intensive public event”.
He warned truth of Putin’s illness would be “a direct threat to the lives of millions of people”.