Murder or Suicide? That is the main question on everyone’s lips these days. It is related to the deaths of Russian oligarchs since the beginning of the year, or more precisely since Russia invaded Ukraine. Most media outlets and news channels mention a number of five or six executives found dead who were directly linked to Gazprom. According to our research, at least ten Russian executives and top managers who worked for companies within the gas industry or simply had connections to the Kremlin were found dead since the beginning of 2022. It is no longer a secret that you cannot do business in Russia unless you know someone from the higher leading circles.
The horror series of death events that keep raising a lot of suspicions started only about a month before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Whether it is a coincidence or not, it’s still a mystery. The first victim of the chain of events was Leonid Shulman, who was at that time the head of Gazprom’s Invest transport service (Gazprom subsidiary). When police officers arrived at the scene on January 29, 2022, they found the deceased, 60 years old, lying on the bathroom floor. Deep wounds were visible on the wrists and a lot of blood around. A retractable knife and a suicide note were found next to the body. In the note, the deceased was apparently complaining about unbearable pains associated with a leg injury. However, friends of the victim were claiming that Shulman had the money to get cured. It would not have been an actual reason for him to take his own life. According to some sources, he was also under investigation for fraud.
Less than a month later, in the same village Leninskoe, on February 25, 2022, Alexander Tyulyakov, 61 years old, the Deputy General Director of Gazprom’s Treasury, was found hanged in his garage with a note nearby. No information has been provided about the note’s content. After the local police arrived, Gazprom Security personnel arrived at the scene too. According to media sources who witnessed that, Gazprom personnel kicked out the criminalists shortly after they began working. Some neighbours claimed they saw Tyulyakov beaten right before finding out he was dead. There are rumours that the hanging was staged. Whether it is a coincidence or not, his predecessor committed suicide about 12 years ago. The body of Sergey Klyuka was found in his car with a gunshot wound to the head.
On February 28, only four days after the war in Ukraine started, Mikhail Watford, 66 years old, allegedly hanged himself in the garage of his home in Surrey, England. The Russian oligarch born in Ukraine made his fortune in Russian Oil & Gas. According to some neighbours, the war in Ukraine affected his state of mind. Mikhail was living in an £ 18 million mansion along with his Estonian wife and his three kids. They were living a luxurious life in the UK. Some media sources have suggested he could have been on Putin’s hit list.
The following events are suspiciously similar. They involve the deaths of three oligarchs and their family members. Vasily Melnikov, billionaire businessman and owner of Medstom company was found dead on March 23, 2022, alongside his wife and two sons aged 4 and 10. The four members were found by their nanny with knife stab wounds in their luxury apartment in Nizhny Novgorod. The main hypothesis is that of a murder-suicide, which states that Melnikov killed his wife and sons with a kitchen knife and then killed himself. Neighbours and relatives disagree with this version, describing the family as a peaceful and happy one, with spouses who loved each other. Due to Western-imposed sanctions, the pharmaceutical products supplier Medstom suffered severe losses.
Vladislav Avayev, 51-year-old former vice president of Gazprombank, his wife and 13-year-old daughter were found dead in their apartment in Moscow on April 18, 2022. Avayev was found with a pistol in hand, and authorities have investigated the case as a murder-suicide. At some point before, he suddenly resigned from his position at the third-biggest Russian bank. In the past, he also worked in the Russian presidential office and was the head of one of the Kremlin’s key departments.
Igor Volobuev, another former vice president at Gazprombank, told CNN that he did not believe the deaths were a murder-suicide, as police had suggested.
“His job was to deal with private banking, that means dealing with VIP clients. He was in charge of very large amounts of money. So, did he kill himself? I don’t think so. I think he knew something and that he posed some sort of risk.” said Volobuev.
Only a day later, 55-year-old multimillionaire Sergey Protosenya was discovered hanged in the garden of his villa in Lloret de Mar, Spain. Next to his body were found an axe and a knife with which he presumably stubbed his wife Natalia (53 years old) and teenage daughter Maria. Their bodies were lying inside the villa with multiple stab wounds. An interesting fact is that no blood stains were found on Protosenya. Police investigation suggests the oligarch killed his family before tying the noose around his neck. Protosenya was an executive of Novatek company – the largest producer and exporter of liquefied natural gas in Russia, which is partially owned by Gazprom. His fortune has been estimated at $ 440 million.
The next victim in this horrifying chain of deaths is Andrei Krukowski, the head of the Krasnaya Polyana resort, belonging to Gazprom. He was only 37 years old when he died. The tragedy happened on May 1, 2022, in the mountains near Sochi. Krukowski was on a trip to the historical site – the Achipsinskaya fortress when he fell off a cliff and died. Although he was an excellent climber, the tragedy occurred on a regular tourist trail. Krukowski had a solid background in hiking, having climbed Kilimanjaro and Elbrus. According to the Russian media, it was an unfortunate accident.
The following victim was also connected to the Russian energy sector. Alexander Subbotin was a former board member of Lukoil Trading House and owner of a shipping business. He was a 43-year-old billionaire and also known as the brother of Valery Subbotin, former vice president of Lukoil. Lukoil is considered a Kremlin-friendly energy giant. According to Russian news channels, Subbotin died on May 9, 2022, under unusual circumstances. It all allegedly happened in the basement of a shaman’s house in Mytishchi, where he sought treatment for a hangover.
Yevgeny Palant, 47, and his wife Olga, 50, were born in Ukraine. They were both found naked on June 27 by their daughter Polina, 20. The victims had multiple knife wounds. The initial theory presented by the police was that of a murder and subsequent suicide caused by jealousy. Palant’s best friend denies the allegations and believes it was a cold-blooded murder. The couple worked in the IT industry. Evgeny was the founder of the leading companies in this area – IK Installsight and UMT LLC and a co-owner of the Abkhazian mobile operator “A-Mobile”. Olga was also an entrepreneur.
The most recent death in this chain is of a Russian multimillionaire, who also had links to the gas industry. Yuri Voronov, 61 years old, was the head of the logistics company Astra-Shipping (a subcontractor of Russia’s gas giant Gazprom). He was found on July 4, floating in the pool of his St. Petersburg mansion with a bullet hole in his head. A pistol was lying nearby. According to Russian news media, several spent bullets were found at the bottom of the pool. The murder is currently being investigated as a “dispute with business partners”.
Ten deaths, at least ten known to the general public started happening one after another and somehow coincided with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. All ten were Russian oligarchs, executives or top managers. They were people with a lot of influence in their activity areas. Some were linked to the gas industry, while others were directly connected to the Kremlin. Some of the crime scenes were very similar, so similar that one would think they had been staged. Those that included the deaths of family members have been classified as a murder-suicide, others as suicide and only two as unfortunate tragedies. Two notes were found, and only the content of one was revealed. Some voices have been asking sarcastically if there is an epidemic of suicides among Russian oligarchs. Are they all suffering because of the sanctions imposed against Russia? Agree. It is not a strong enough argument.
We can admit it is possible that from ten cases, one, two or even three are suicides or unfortunate accidents. But when ten deaths happen in a row and have so many things in common, they raise a lot of suspicions. Therefore, I will ask the question that is on many people’s lips: Has Putin started to “denazify” Russia too?
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