After Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine on February 24, the deaths of the Russian oligarch aroused great suspicion. While discussing the relevance of the deaths to the war, the detail of frog poison came to the fore in the death of Aleksandr Subbotin, the former manager of Russia’s second largest oil company Lukoil.
Aleksandr Subbotin, former manager of Lukoil
DEATH ASKED TO DOUBT
Due to Russia’s continued attacks on Ukraine, the country is experiencing a major crisis both politically and economically. After the attacks, the deaths of many Russian oligarchs arouse great suspicion while making sanctions decisions against Russia around the world, especially in western states. The oligarchs who lost their lives draw attention as they are the names in Russia’s oil and natural gas sector.
Some Russian oligarchs who committed suicide or were killed are known for their proximity to the Kremlin. The fact that many oligarchs who died are directors of related energy companies raises suspicions about the deaths of Russian oligarchs both in the Russian press and in the world public opinion. Russian doctor Ekaterina Trofimova, a member of the European Association of Psychotherapists, drew attention to the fact that many of the Russian oligarchs work in Russian energy companies. Reminding that Russia puts the most pressure on energy companies and the business world in Ukraine operations, Trofimova said, “One of the most intense stresses a person experiences is the stress we experience when we are faced with a situation where we cannot affect anything. There is a sense of helplessness. And then people direct their energies and activities directly to what is in their power. And they try to change things that don’t need to be changed,” he said.
SUICIDE 1 DAY AFTER THE ATTACK IN UKRAINE
Just before the military operations Russia launched in Ukraine on February 24, the first death news came from Leonid Shulman, the senior manager of the Russian oil company Gazprom. It was announced that 60-year-old Shulman committed suicide in a room of his 3-storey summer house worth 500 thousand dollars in the Leninsky District. In the note found at Shulman’s house, it was stated that Shulman told about the troubles he experienced due to the pain in his leg. It was recorded that Shulman broke up with his wife 1 year ago and lives a separate life with his child and family.
One day after the Ukraine attacks launched by Russia on February 24, it was announced that 61-year-old Alexander Tyulyakov, the senior manager of Gazprom, died. It was announced that Tyulyakov, who has been the director of Gazprom since 1999, hung himself in the garage of his house. While it was learned that Tyulyakov left a letter during this suicide, the content of this letter was not shared with the public.
RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE ALLEGED
It was recorded that one month after Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, 43-year-old Valisiy Melnikov, the 43-year-old owner of the medical equipment company MedStom operating in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, committed suicide after killing his 41-year-old wife and their 10 and 4-year-old children. It was stated that Valisiy Melnikov, the owner of MedStom, one of the largest companies in Russia, with a net profit of more than 2 million rubles ($ 208 million) last year, leads a quiet and calm life, does not use alcohol, cigarettes and drugs. It was announced that Valisiy Melnikov first killed his wife and children with a gun and a knife, and then committed suicide with his gun, in his house located on a street built for the Russian rich in the city of Nizhny Novgorod. However, both the Russian and world press about this death claimed that the incident was not a simple act of insanity and suicide, and claimed that Russian intelligence was behind the suicide.
While the economic sanctions of Western countries against Russia and Russian business people continue, it has been recorded that Ukrainian-born Russian oligarch Mikhail Watford, who has been living in England since the early 2000s, hanged himself in his home in the city of Surrey. It was reported that the British police described the death of Watford, the owner of the oil refinery and natural gas company, as a “suspicious death”. However, no information was shared about the exact cause of death of Watford, who had a large fortune. There has been a lot of speculation after the death of Watford, who added wealth to his fortune at the beginning of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rule.
HE KILLED HIS FAMILY AND HIMSELF
Shortly after the death of Mikhail Watford, it was announced that another name in the energy sector, like other Russian oligarchs, died. Russian oligarch Vladislav Avayev, a former executive of the Russian oil company Gazprom and known for his closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin, terrorized his home in Moscow on April 19th. Avayev committed suicide after shooting his 47-year-old wife, Yelena Avayev, and then his 13-year-old daughter, Mariya, with his gun. While the Russian police did not make any statement about the suicide and murders of Avayev, who opened a company called RT-Carbon after leaving Gazprom, it was alleged that Avayev was cheated on with his driver by his wife. According to another claim, Avaev and his wife were constantly arguing for the future of their 13-year-old daughter, and upon a similar argument, Avaev had a nervous breakdown and killed his family and then committed suicide. According to a third theory, Avaev and his family, who were critical of Russia’s operations in Ukraine, were killed by Russian intelligence.
FOUND DEAD IN THE LUXURIOUS VILLA
Another address of the news of the death of the Russian oligarchs was Spain. 55-year-old Russian businessman Sergey Protosenya and his family were found dead in their luxury villa in the town of Lloret De Mar, Girona, in the Catalonia region of Spain, nearing the end of April. Sergey Protosenya, who served as the head of the Russian Novatek energy company between 1997 and 2015, later retired and lived with his family in a mansion he bought in the south of France. Sergey Protosenya’s 22-year-old son Fedor, who could not reach his family, who was on holiday in Spain for the Easter holiday, was terrified in the villa where the Protosenya family was staying, upon the notification of the Spanish police. Allegedly, Sergey Protosenya killed his wife and daughter with an ax and then committed suicide by hanging himself on the porch. While the Spanish police made a confidentiality decision for this suspicious event, the death of Sergey Protosenya, who is stated to have 400 million fortune, and his family, caused speculations related to Russian intelligence in both Russia and Spain. Fedor Protosenya targeted Russian intelligence.
FOUND SHOOTED ON THE ROOF OF THE BUILDING
In Moscow, the capital of Russia, 45-year-old founder of the Karavaev Brothers, one of Russia’s most famous restaurant chains, Vladimir Lyakishev was found murdered on the roof of a multi-storey building. Lyakishev’s wife announced that she left the house shortly after drinking alcohol with her husband, and that her husband was found shot 2 hours later. Lyakishev’s wife said in her statement that Lyakishev had climbed to the roof, as he had done many times before, by video calling a friend in the phone book and claiming that he would shoot her. Lyakishev’s wife, who stated that her friend persuaded Lyakishev not to commit suicide, said that they learned that Lyakishev committed suicide after hanging up the phone. While his wife stated that her husband had an alcohol problem recently, it was noted that there were no fingerprints belonging to anyone other than Lyakishev on the gun found in the attic. Lyakishev’s death was recorded as “suicide”.
FROG POISON DETAIL: SHAMANS KILLED PROFESSIONALLY
It was announced that Aleksandr Subbotin, the former manager of Russia’s second largest oil company Lukoil, died of a heart attack on May 10. According to preliminary data from the Russian Investigative Committee, 43-year-old Russian billionaire Subbotin received support from shamans for his alcohol detox. During this practice, the Russian oligarch Subbotin was treated with frog poison. However, it was announced that after a while, shamans gave Subbotin a pain reliever mixture prepared from valerian plant to Subbotin, who had a heart attack, but Subbotin was found dead in the morning by 2 shamans named Alexey Pindyurin and Kristina Teikhrib. According to the first determinations, the exact cause of death of Alexander Subbotin was recorded as cardiac arrest. However, while this report was not found “realistic” by the Russian public, some Russian media claimed that shamans had professionally killed the Russian oligarch. The shamans, on the other hand, argued that they did not receive money from the Russian oligarch, and that they were friends of Subbotin.
Source: UAV