Ken Gargett Posted April 28, 2022 Posted April 28, 2022 6 Russian oligarchs have died in alleged suicides since start of 2022 By Kathryn Mannie Global News Posted April 27, 2022 12:57 pm Updated April 28, 2022 1:23 pm Last week, within 48 hours of each other, two Russian oligarchs were found dead alongside their families in what investigators are labelling murder-suicides. Since the start of 2022, four other Russia-connected oligarchs have mysteriously died by suicide. The majority of the deaths came after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. In 2017, USA Today released a report that found that 38 high-profile Russians died or went missing in a three-year time span. It’s not uncommon for opponents and critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin to be assassinated, disappear or be thrown in prison. READ MORE: Oh ship! All the superyachts seized from Russian oligarchs so far STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT Not every death of a high-profile Russian is a cause for concern about foul play, but below we’ve compiled a list of the startling number of Russian oligarchs who have met a mysterious end in 2022 — so far. Sergey Protosenya Multimillionaire Sergey Protosenya was found hanged outside a Spanish villa he was renting with his family for Easter on April 20. The bodies of his wife and 18-year-old daughter were found fatally stabbed in their beds. Local Spanish authorities are investigating the three deaths, which appear to be a case of murder-suicide, but investigators are not ruling out the possibility that the family was killed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT No suicide note was found and Protosenya has no track record of domestic violence, according to Spanish news outlet El Punt Avui. Protosenya’s wife and child were stabbed to death, though no blood was found on his clothes or person. An axe and knife were found near his body, however. Protosenya, 55, is a former executive at Novatek, the largest independent natural gas producer in Russia. In response to the deaths of Protosenya and his family, Novatek released a statement that characterized the former executive as “an outstanding person and a wonderful family man, a strong professional who made a considerable contribution to the formation and development of the Company.” READ MORE: Canada sanctions more than 200 loyal to Russia in Ukraine’s east Vladislav Avayev Just one day prior to the deaths of Protosenya and his family, Russian oligarch Vladislav Avayev was found dead in his Moscow apartment along with the bodies of his wife and 13-year-old daughter. State-controlled media outlet TASS reported on the deaths and a source in Russian law enforcement told them that preliminary evidence points to Avayev killing his wife and daughter, then dying by suicide. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT Avayev, a former vice-president of Gazprombank and a Kremlin official before that, was found dead holding a pistol, which was allegedly used to kill his wife and daughter. Gazprombank is Russia’s third-largest bank and is associated with Gazprom, the largest publicly listed natural gas company in the world. READ MORE: Canada, U.S. to continue ‘maximum pressure’ on Russia over Ukraine war, Joly says Another Gazprombank vice-president, Igor Volobuev, has questioned Ayavev’s case being labelled a murder-suicide, saying, “I think that this is a staging. Why? It is hard to say. Maybe he knew something and represented some kind of danger.” The Ukraine-born Volobuev announced on Tuesday that he has left Russia to fight for Ukraine, telling Insider: “I could no longer observe from the outside what Russia is doing with my homeland. My visit is like repentance, I want to wash off my Russian past. I want to stay in Ukraine until the victory.” READ MORE: Russia cuts off gas to NATO’s Poland, Bulgaria for rejecting rouble demand Vasily Melnikov Early last March, Russian billionaire Vasily Melnikov and his family were all found dead in their luxury apartment in Nizhny Novgorod. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT According to Russian newspaper Kommersant, and as reported by Newsweek, Melnikov, alongside his wife and two young sons, died from stab wounds. The knives used in the killings were found at the crime scene. Investigators again concluded that the deaths were a result of a murder-suicide in which Melnikov killed his wife and 10-year-old and four-year-old sons before killing himself. Neighbours and relatives are struggling to believe that Melnikov could have killed his family. News 84 Media reported that Melnikov’s company Medstom, which imports medical equipment into Russia, was on the verge of collapse after western sanctions were imposed in response to the Ukraine war. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT He and his family had reportedly just returned from a holiday in the Maldives when their bodies were discovered. READ MORE: Russia cuts off gas to NATO’s Poland, Bulgaria for rejecting rouble demand Mikhail Watford On Feb. 28, Ukrainian-born oligarch Mikhail Watford was found dead in the garage of his home in Surrey, U.K. Watford had been hanged but his wife and children, who were home at the time, were not harmed. Surrey police are investigating the death, but said that they don’t believe foul play was involved “at this time.” STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT According to the BBC, the Russian businessman made his millions as an oil and gas tycoon following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Watford changed his last name from Tolstosheya after moving to the U.K. in the early 2000s. 2:19Nowhere to sail, nowhere to hide: Tracking the superyachts of Russia’s super rich Nowhere to sail, nowhere to hide: Tracking the superyachts of Russia’s super rich – Mar 31, 2022 Alexander Tyulyakov Three days before Watford’s death and a day after Russia invaded Ukraine, a deputy general director for Gazprom’s treasury department was found hanged in the garage of a cottage in Lenisky. Investigators found a note next to Alexander Tyulyakov’s body, leading to the conclusion by local law enforcement that Tyulyakov died by suicide, according to Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta. They cited an unnamed source in law enforcement who told them that Gazprom’s own security unit arrived at the scene of his suicide at the same time as police and is also investigating the death. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT READ MORE: ‘Canada’s most wanted’ arrested hours after new Bolo Program campaign starts Tyulyakov, 61, had worked at Gazprom for around 10 years and had previously overseen corporate security and human resources. The neighbourhood where he was found was also the site of another suicide of a Gazprom executive. Leonid Shulman On Jan. 30, about a month before Russia invaded Ukraine, another Gazprom top executive died in the Lenisky district, which is known to be a retreat for Russian executives. Leonid Shulman, 60, was found dead in the bathroom of his cottage next to an apparent suicide note, according to Novaya Gazeta. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT In the note, Shulman complained about an unbearable pain in his leg, which he had injured during the New Year’s holiday. Shulman reportedly wore an Ilizarov apparatus for the injury, which is used to reshape limb bones. According to Fortune, Shulman was in the midst of being investigated for fraud at Gazprom.
Kaptain Karl Posted April 28, 2022 Posted April 28, 2022 Sounds similar to what’s happening in China 3
... Posted April 28, 2022 Posted April 28, 2022 The smartest thing someone educated/quick-witted can do when living under a dictatorship is to relocate imho... 2
frenchkiwi Posted April 29, 2022 Posted April 29, 2022 as some journo pointed out, Russia became an oligarchy in the 90s (after they took western advice to privatise all their big energy companies and give shares to people who were more in need of basic necessities, so a few rich guys hoovered'em up) but slowly ceased to be one in the last two decades, as Vlad used his state power as quasi-dictator to become the biggest richest oligarch and then get rid of most of all the others. this war is pretty much the final coup so i suppose no surprise he's using it as cover to take out remaining threats, and killing off any remnants of independent media in the process... In a strange twist of irony, i'm guessing the hunt for owners of superyachts to impose western sanctions has helped journalists compile the list of rich Russians dead in mysteriously similar circumstances ! 2
joeypots Posted April 29, 2022 Posted April 29, 2022 11 hours ago, frenchkiwi said: as some journo pointed out, Russia became an oligarchy in the 90s (after they took western advice to privatise all their big energy companies and give shares to people who were more in need of basic necessities, so a few rich guys hoovered'em up) but slowly ceased to be one in the last two decades, as Vlad used his state power as quasi-dictator to become the biggest richest oligarch and then get rid of most of all the others. this war is pretty much the final coup so i suppose no surprise he's using it as cover to take out remaining threats, and killing off any remnants of independent media in the process... In a strange twist of irony, i'm guessing the hunt for owners of superyachts to impose western sanctions has helped journalists compile the list of rich Russians dead in mysteriously similar circumstances ! Indeed. I'm reading Bill Browder's Red Notice. I have an issue or two with the author but he gives a clear explanation of the Russian privatization of industries after the fall of the USSR and how it all wound up being owned by the oligarchs. The way Putin got his is just as interesting. As the saying goes, you can't make this shit up. 2
BrightonCorgi Posted April 29, 2022 Posted April 29, 2022 I would've made my share and then give the business back to the Country. Keep my mouth shut and enjoy what was able to get. It's a tough circle, and no one knows when it's time to get out.
Popular Post jakebarnes Posted April 29, 2022 Popular Post Posted April 29, 2022 It is shocking how many people choose to commit suicide in that country by shooting themselves in the back of the head 3-4 times and then jumping off a roof. 5
Chibearsv Posted April 29, 2022 Posted April 29, 2022 3 hours ago, jakebarnes said: It is shocking how many people choose to commit suicide in that country by shooting themselves in the back of the head 3-4 times and then jumping off a roof. Don't forget, with a rope around their neck. 1
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