Falls, Disappearances, and Drownings... The Series of Mysterious Deaths Among Russian Chaebols

Missing and Crashed... 'Oligarhi' Series of Deaths
Putin Expected to Make Major Announcement Soon

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Culture Young Intern Reporter] Since Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, a series of suspicious deaths among oligarchs (newly wealthy tycoons) have raised various suspicions of political involvement.

According to the French daily Var Matin and others on the 18th (local time), Russian real estate tycoon Dmitry Zelenov died from a fall on the 10th in Antibes, a city in the Riviera region of southern France. The day before the accident, he had dinner with friends and, while leaving early to go home, he fell down the stairs and under the railing.

Var Matin and other local media reported that Zelenov suffered a head injury and died while receiving treatment at Pasteur Hospital in Nice, and that the police are currently investigating the cause of death. Zelenov was a co-owner of Donstroy, a real estate investment company based in Moscow, Russia’s capital, and before the 2008 financial crisis when it came under the control of the Russian state-owned bank VTB, his estimated assets were known to be $1.4 billion (about 1.83 trillion won).

Zelenov’s death is similar to other oligarchs who recently died. Anatoly Gerashenko, former president of Moscow Aviation University, died on September 21 after falling down the stairs of the university building, and on the 10th of the same month, Ivan Pechorin, executive director of the Russian Far East Arctic Development Corporation (KRDV), went missing after falling into the water while boating south of Vladivostok and was eventually found dead.

Ravil Maganov, chairman of the board of Russia’s largest private oil company Lukoil, also fell on September 1 from the 6th floor of Moscow Central Clinical Hospital. Russian media reported that he was hospitalized for heart disease and was taking antidepressants, suggesting a high possibility of suicide, but doubts were raised about suicide since he had previously criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In February, Gazprom’s finance executive Aleksandro Tulakov took his own life at home, and in April, Sergey Protosenya, former vice chairman of the liquefied natural gas company Novatek, killed his family at his villa in Spain before hanging himself. As suspicious deaths of newly wealthy tycoons continue, some speculate that they were killed for expressing critical views against the government.

Meanwhile, there are observations that Russia is planning a ground offensive this winter to change the unfavorable war situation. State media reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a major announcement soon. Although the exact schedule and content of the meeting have not been disclosed, dpa news agency predicted that, given the ongoing issues with Russia’s military supply, new military policies could be implemented.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.