Saturday, October 26, 2024

"Why do Russian oil bosses keep dying?"

Following on October 21's "Russian Oligarch (former V.P. of Yukos) Found Dead in Moscow after Falling Out of Window", we see this at The Week, October 22:

There have been 'at least 50' mysterious deaths of energy company executives since Putin ordered Ukraine invasion 

Another prominent Russian businessman has died under mysterious circumstances after apparently falling out of a window, the latest in a string of similar unexpected deaths among Russian energy executives.

Mikhail Rogachev, the former vice-president of Yukos – once one of Russia's foremost oil and gas companies – was found dead at the entrance to his home in Moscow over the weekend. He was reportedly discovered by an employee of Russia's foreign intelligence agency, the SVR, with injuries characteristic of a fall. The Russian state news agency said the 64-year-old, who lived on the tenth floor, had died by suicide. Police are reportedly "studying" a suicide note, said The Times.

Unexplained tragedies
There have been "numerous" unexplained deaths of prominent Russians since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, said Newsweek. Unusually for a Russian company, Lukoil (Russia's second-largest oil producer) publicly criticised the invasion. The company's board of directors expressed "its deepest concerns about the tragic events in Ukraine" in a statement.