There are still mysteries surrounding her death. Because even though the investigation is treating them as suicide or homicide-suicide cases (in cases involving family members), more than one has doubts about how the six died Russian oligarchs disappeared in just three months. The reasons are obvious: the timing and the context, that of one War who met loyal Russian billionaires Putin and isolated the few dissidents. And then because four of the six deaths of Russian tycoons are associated with personalities whose names are closely associated Gazprom. It was Fedor who cast more shadows on the dead Protosenia, son of billionaire Sergey, former owner of Nototek. The father was found lifeless in Spain with his wife and daughter and investigations have branded him a suicide bomber. “But my father would never have done that, he loved my mother and my sister, they were all killed by someone else,” said the son with conviction.
MORE INFORMATION
Russian oligarch Biden wants to sell confiscated assets (yachts and assets) to help Kyiv
The yellow of the dead oligarchs
Former Gazprom officials, then, but also a medical equipment entrepreneur and a vice president of a natural gas company. These are the offices of the Russian oligarchs found dead around the world in 2022. My name is Sergei ProtoseniaVladislav AvayevVasily MelnikovMikhail WatfordAlexander Tyyakov and Leonid schoolman. From Moscow to Spain to the UK, multi-millionaires were everywhere. And it’s not the first time so many deaths have occurred in a short space of time. In 2017, USA Today ran a report that found 38 high-profile Russians had died or disappeared over a three-year period. It is not uncommon for opponents and critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin to be murdered, disappeared or imprisoned. However, it is not yet clear whether there is a connection to the latter.
Sergey Protosenya, the multi-millionaire found hanged in Spain
Sergey Protosenya, a multi-millionaire worth an estimated €400 million, was found hanged on April 20 outside a Spanish villa he and his family rented for Easter. The bodies of his wife and 18-year-old daughter were found stabbed to death in their beds. The son, who was in France, rules out the murder-suicide hypothesis: even if it is one of the roads traveled by local investigators.
Vladislav Avayev, the former Kremlin official, was found dead in Moscow
Vladislav Avayev, former vice president of Gazprombank and a former Kremlin official, was found dead in his Moscow apartment a day earlier (April 19) along with the bodies of his wife and 13-year-old daughter. Next to him is a gun that is said to have killed his wife and daughter. It is worth remembering that Gazprombank is the third largest bank in Russia and is affiliated with Gazprom, the world’s largest publicly traded natural gas company.
Vasily Melnikov and the collapse of his society after the war
In early March, Russian billionaire Vasily Melnikov and his family were found dead in their luxury apartment in Nizhny Novgorod. Melnikov died from stab wounds along with his wife and two young children (according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant). The knives used in the murders were found at the scene. News 84 Media reported that Melnikov’s company Medstom, which imports medical equipment to Russia, was on the verge of collapse after Western sanctions were imposed in response to the war in Ukraine.
Mikhail Watford, the Ukrainian-born tycoon who died in Britain
It’s February 28th when Ukrainian-born oligarch Mikhail Watford is found dead in the garage of his home in Surrey, UK. Surrey Police are investigating the death but said they do not believe it was a homicide. According to the BBC, the Russian businessman made his millions as an oil and gas magnate after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Alexander Tyulyakov, deputy director of Gazprom, allegedly committed suicide
Also in February, three days before Watford’s death and one day after Russia invaded Ukraine, a deputy general director of Gazprom’s finance department was found hanged in the garage of a country house in Lenisky, Russia. This is Alexander Tyulyakov. Tyulyakov, 61, had worked at Gazprom for about 10 years, previously overseeing corporate security and human resources.
Leonid Shulman, the executive investigating fraud
On January 30, about a month before Russia invaded Ukraine, another senior Gazprom executive died in the Lenisky district, known as a haven for Russian executives. Leonid Shulman, 60, was found dead in his cottage bathroom next to what appeared to be a suicide note, according to Novaya Gazeta. In the note, Shulman complained of excruciating pain in his leg, which he injured over the New Year holidays. According to Fortune, Shulman was in the middle of a Gazprom fraud investigation.
