The curious case of dead Russian oligarchs since Ukraine invasion

Two more Russian oligarchs and their families were found dead within 24 hours last week, in a string of deaths among Russia’s elite since the Ukraine invasion. The bullet-riddled bodies of banking magnate Vladislav Avayev and his wife and daughter were discovered in Moscow on April 18. Less than a day later, gas executive Sergei Protosenya was found hanging in Spain, and his wife and daughter “axed” to death.

At least three other Russian oligarchs and their families have also been found dead since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Incidentally, all the deceased are said to have a Kremlin connection, and the deaths come after Vladimir Putin’s call for “purification of Russia from pro-Western oligarchs”.

So how are Russian oligarchs losing their lives in quick succession?

Avayev, a former vice-president of Russia’s third largest bank Gazprombank, his wife Yelena, and their 13-year-old daughter Maria were found shot to death in their 14th floor multi-million-dollar apartment in Moscow. The bodies were discovered by Avayev’s eldest daughter Annastasia.

The bodies of Protosenya, his wife Natalia and daughter Maria were found in a rented villa at Lloret de Mar in Spain, where the family was spending Easter holidays. Protosenya was a former deputy chairman of Novatek, Russia’s second-largest natural gas producer.

While Protosenya was found hanging in the villa’s garden, his wife and daughter were found hacked to death in their beds. An axe was found near Protosenya’s body and police are probing whether it is a case of murder-suicide or staged to look like one.

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The latest deaths have only emboldened conspiracy theories since quite a few Russian oligarchs have been found dead under mysterious circumstances in the last few weeks.

On March 24, Russian media reported that billionaire Vasily Melnikov and his wife and two sons were found stabbed to death in their luxury apartment in western Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod.

Ukrainian-born Russian tycoon Mikhail Watford, who made his wealth in oil and gas, was found dead at his home in Surrey, England, on February 28. His body was found in a noose in the garage.

Again, on February 25, a day after Russia launched its offensive against Ukraine, top Gazprom financial and security executive Alexander Tyulyakov was found hanging in a cottage near St Petersburg. The body was discovered by his lover.