July 11, 2025 8:14am

Ukraine Russia Photos

Ben Borges

Ukraine has received more than $18.5 billion from frozen Russian assets this year, directing the money toward swift recovery projects, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

July 11, 2025 8:11am

Ukraine Russia Photos

Reading Time: 12 minutes

Ben Borges

From early 2022 to mid-2025, a wave of suspicious high-profile deaths swept through Russia’s  through the ranks of officials, business leaders, and top executives of major state-linked corporations.

Volunteers of InformNapalm volunteer intelligence community analyzed dozens of these cases between January 30, 2022, and July 7, 2025. Most of the deceased held critical roles in strategically important sectors: oil and gas, finance, the defense industry, transport, and public administration.

This open-source analysis focuses on 34 such deaths and reveals a pattern — a mix of alleged suicides and suspected murders staged to appear as suicides. In many cases, these deaths appear to serve the purpose of burying secrets and silencing key witnesses. While we do not draw firm conclusions, we present the patterns and details to aid further investigations and journalistic research into Russia’s internal dynamics.

We have compiled an infographic for better visual clarity, followed by short case descriptions and observed trends.
(Click the infographic to enlarge)

Distribution of listed deaths by year:

• 2022 19 cases
• 2023 9 cases
• 2024 3 cases
• 2025 3 cases (as of July 7)

The peak of suspicious deaths occurred in 2022, coinciding with the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and a significant increase in international sanctions. This period could have been marked by rising internal tensions and possibly certain “purges” within the Russian elites, which most likely had a direct connection to money siphoning and laundering. In 2023, the number of deaths decreased, probably due to stabilizing circumstances or tightened information control. Current data for 2024 and 2025 show a further decline in deaths, but it’s too early to make definitive judgments.

The lion’s share of the deaths are in one way or another connected with the oil and gas industry (Gazprom, Lukoil, Novatek, TAIF) and the financial sector (Gazprombank, Loko-Bank, RosEvroBank, Moscow Exchange). The list also includes representatives from the defense industry, logistics and government agencies. Notably, many deaths occurred among those with access to state secrets or financial records of major national projects, indicating a targeted effort to silence potential whistleblowers

It is indicative that the unexplained circumstances of the deaths concern areas that are key to the functioning of the Russian economy and political system.

An analysis of the circumstances reveals several recurring “scenarios,” often accompanied by centralized efforts to influence investigations and spin media narratives

1. “Suicide” and “family tragedy” is the most common category, in a number of cases accompanied by the death of family members. Examples: Leonid Shulman, Alexander Tyulyakov, Mikhail Tolstosheya, Vladislav Avaev, Sergey Protosenya, Pavel Pchelnikov, Vladimir Makarov, Vitaly Robertus.
   In many cases, suicide appears to be staged. For example, Vladislav Avaev, found with a gunshot wound, was accused posthumously of murdering his wife and disabled daughter in a supposed fit of jealousy. Also, a day after the death of the Avaev family in Spain, the bodies of Sergey Protosenya, his 53-year-old wife Natalia and 18-year-old daughter Maria were found (on April 19, 2022) in a rented villa in the city of Lloret de Mar, Spain, where the family spent the Easter holidays. Protosenya was found hanged on a railing in the garden of the villa, and his wife and daughter were found dead in their beds with traces of violence: blows with a blunt weapon (presumably, an axe) and stab wounds. Spanish police initially called it a murder-suicide, but doubts emerged: no blood was found on Protosenya despite the violent nature of the attack. Bloody socks — potentially used as makeshift gloves — were found at the scene. Fyodor Protosenya, Sergei’s eldest son, who was in France at the time of the tragedy, strongly rejected the idea that his father could have been the killer, insisting that his father was a loving family man. He demanded a full and impartial investigation. He believed that his parents and sister had been killed.
2. “Fall from height” is the second most common scenario. This category includes Ravil Maganov (fell from a hospital window), Marina Yankina (fell from an apartment window), Kristina Baykova (fell from an 11th floor window), Mikhail Rogachev (fell from a 10th floor window), and Andrey Badalov (fell from a 17th floor balcony). Particularly strange are the cases of Pavel Antov, who fell from the window of the same hotel in India where his friend Vladimir Bydanov “died suddenly” shortly before, and of Andrey Krukovsky’s fall from a mountain trail.
3. “Accidents” and “sudden deaths”: some cases are presented as accidents (e.g. Ivan Pechorin who allegedly fell from a boat, Georgy Chibisov who fell from a yacht) or medical events (Dmitry Teslenko, Alexander Subbotin, Dmitry Konoplev, Alexander Buzakov, Vladimir Nekrasov, Petr Chuvilin, Sergey Grishin). However, hasty investigations, rapid closure of cases and the lack of independent inquiry raise doubts.
   The case of Alexander Subbotin , a former board member of Lukoil Trading House LLC and the brother of former Lukoil vice president Valery Subbotin, is interesting. The Mash Telegram channel and the media immediately spread the information that Subbotin allegedly came to a shaman seeking a “cure for a hangover.” The shaman and his wife reportedly practiced unconventional “healing” methods, including frog venom treatment. The method involved making small cuts in the patient’s skin and dripping frog venom into them, after which the patient would supposedly feel better after vomiting. Rituals involving “summoning spirits,” animal sacrifices, and “bathing in the blood of roosters” were also mentioned. Allegedly when Subbotin became ill, the shaman, instead of calling an ambulance, “gave him Corvalol and put him to sleep in the basement,” where he died. The shamans’ spouse told the police that they were “just friends” with the deceased. Despite media mockery and rumors of occult practices, the official cause of death was listed as heart failure — though many suspect poisoning.
4. Violent deaths: in some cases, murder is clear. Vasily Melnikov was stabbed to death with his wife and children, and Yuri Voronov was shot.
5. Death in pre-trial detention: Igor Shkurko was found dead in a Yakutsk pre-trial detention facility, raising concerns about his detention conditions and human rights.
6. “Found dead”: several people, e.g. Alexey Ogarev and Oleg Zatsepin, were simply “found dead” without any details of the circumstances.

Most occurred in Russia — Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Yakutsk, and other major cities. However, several took place abroad: Argentina (Dmitry Teslenko), Great Britain (Mikhail Tolstosheya), Spain (Sergey Protosenya), India (Vladimir Bidanov, Pavel Antov). This global spread suggests that the reach of those responsible extends beyond Russia’s borders.

The most likely motive is the elimination of witnesses. 

Many of the deceased held positions that gave them access to sensitive information about corruption schemes, money laundering, or other secrets related to senior management or major projects.

A striking example is Petr Chuvilin, who died suddenly during a routine knee surgery at a private medical center in Moscow. Chuvilin, a former banker, was a witness in the case of the Moldovan branch of the infamous “Laundromat” money laundering network run by security officers.

While some deaths may be related to business conflicts or personal matters, the number, timing, and overlap suggest a systemic campaign of elimination.

It is highly unlikely that external pressure, uncertainty, or threats could so much exacerbate illnesses (including mental ones) or drive the subjects to murder immediate family members and commit suicide.

The general pattern more likely reflects a campaign of intimidation and control, designed to create fear and prevent dissent or defection among the elite.

Without transparent, independent investigations, these deaths will remain surrounded by speculation. But the trend points toward a targeted effort by Russian security services or affiliated groups to neutralize risks to the regime during wartime.

Leonid Shulman, 60, January 30, 2022
Head of the transport service of Gazprom Invest
Body bearing signs of suicide found in the bathtub of his suburban house

Dmitry Teslenko, 61, June 02, 2022


Head of the Financial and Economic Department of JSC TAIF
During an expedition in Argentina, he lost consciousness and died at an altitude of 6,100 meters above sea level.

Alexander Tyulyakov, 61, February 25, 2022
Top manager of Gazprom’s financial division
Found dead in the garage of his home near St. Petersburg

Mikhail Tolstosheya (Watford), 57, February 28, 2022
Oil and gas businessman, friend of Boris Berezovsky
Found hanged in a garage at Wentworth Estate in Surrey, UK

Vasily Melnikov, 44, March 22, 2022
Director of Medstom (supplies of medical equipment from the EU)
Found stabbed to death with his wife and two children in a private home in Nizhny Novgorod

Vladislav Avaev, 51, April 18, 2022
Former Vice President of Gazprombank
Found with a gunshot wound in an apartment on Universitetsky Prospekt in Moscow. According to investigators, Avaev killed his disabled daughter, tortured and killed his wife, and then committed suicide.

Sergey Protosenya, 55, April 19, 2022
Former top manager at Novatek
Found dead in a villa in Spain, along with the bodies of his wife and daughter

Andrey Krukovsky, 37, April 30, 2022
General Director of Gazprom’s Krasnaya Polyana resort
Died of a fall from a mountain trail near Sochi

Alexander Subbotin, 43, May 08, 2022
Former board member at Lukoil
Allegedly, died of heart failure in the basement of a shaman’s house in the near Moscow

Alexey Ogarev, 65, June 17, 2022
Former head of Rosvooruzhenie arms producer
Found dead in his home near Moscow

Yuri Voronov, 61, July 04, 2022
Director of a Gazprom contractor (Astra Shipping)
Found with a lethal gunshot wound in the pool of his home near St. Petersburg

Dmitry Konoplev, 45, July 22, 2022
Director of the Academician Arkady Shipunov Instrument Design Bureau
Died during a xenotherapy session at the Xeospa clinic, Moscow

Ravil Maganov, 67, September 01, 2022
Chairman of the Board at Lukoil
Fell out of the window of the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow

Ivan Pechorin, 39, September 10, 2022
Director of the State Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Fell from a boat while sailing near Russky Island.

Pavel Pchelnikov, 52, September 28, 2022
Director of Communications for Digital Logistics at Russian Railways
Found dead with signs of suicide on the balcony of his apartment in Moscow.

Oleg Zatsepin, 47, December 16, 2022
Director of Kogalymneftegaz, a subsidiary of LUKOIL Western Siberia
Found dead in his office.

Vladimir Bydanov, 61, December 22, 2022
Businessman and friend of Pavel Antov
Died in a hotel in India from a heart attack, allegedly caused by alcohol and drug abuse

Pavel Antov, 65, December 24, 2022
Deputy and founder of the Vladimir Standard
Fell out of the window of the same hotel in India where V. Bydanov died

Alexander Buzakov, 66, December 24, 2022
General Director of JSC Admiralty Shipyards
Died suddenly.

Vladimir Makarov, 72, February 13, 2023
Former deputy head of the Main Directorate for Combating Extremism at the Russian Ministry of Interior
Allegedly, shot himself with a shotgun near Moscow

Marina Yankina, 58, February 15, 2023
Head of the Finance Department of the Western Military District
Fell out of an apartment window in St. Petersburg.

Vyacheslav Rovneyko, 59, February 22, 2023
Director of the Interregional Fuel Union, Founder of Urals Energy, Co-owner of Nafta (B) NV
Found dead in his home in Rublyovka, prestigious residential area in the western suburbs of Moscow.

Petr Chuvilin, 54, February 26, 2023
Banker, figure and witness in the Moldovan “Laundromat” case, Former adviser to Ramzan Kadyrov
Allegedly died of heart failure in a private medical clinic

Sergey Grishin, 56, March 06, 2023
Russian billionaire, former owner of the Lubyanka bank (RosEvroBank)
Died in Moscow

Igor Shkurko, 51, April 04, 2023
First deputy head of Yakutskenergo, former member of parliament from United Russia party
Found dead in a pre-trial detention center in Yakutsk

Kristina Baykova, 28, June 24, 2023
Vice President of Loko-Bank
Fell out of the 11th-floor window of her apartment after a party

Anton Cherepennikov, 40, July 22, 2023
IT tycoon, provider of most of the telephone wiretapping and internet traffic tracing systems for the Russian government, founder of ICS Holding
Body found at night in his office on Michurinsky Prospekt, Moscow

Vladimir Nekrasov, 66, October 24,2023
Chairman of the Board of PJSC Lukoil
Allegedly, died of acute heart failure

Vitaly Robertus, 53, March 13, 2024
Vice President of PJSC Lukoil
Found dead in the office of Lukoil on Sretensky Boulevard with signs of suicide

Georgy Chibisov, 44, July 27, 2024
Advertising and Media Director at Moscow Exchange
Died after falling from a yacht while sailing on the Moskva River

Mikhail Rogachev, 66, October 19, 2024
Executive Director of ONEXIM (2008-2011),
Head of the Russian Fund for Technological Development (2011-2015)
Fell out of the 10th-floor window of a residential building in Moscow

Andrey Badalov, 62, July 04, 2025
Vice President for IT at PJSC Transneft
Fell from the 17th-floor balcony of a building in Rublyovka

Roman Starovoit, 53, July 07, 2025
Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation.
Died on the day when Putin signed his dismissal decree.
Found with a gunshot wound in his personal car in the Odintsovo urban district near Moscow. The official version of the Investigative Committee is “suicide”.
Vladimir Putin dismissed Roman Starovoit from the post of Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation. The relevant decree was posted on Monday, July 7, on the legal acts portal and entered into force from the moment of signing. The reasons for Starovoit’s dismissal are not given.

Alexey Korneichuk, 42, July 07, 2025
Top manager of Rosavtodor — deputy head of the property management department of the railway transport agency.
Sudden death in the Ministry of Transport building.

To be continued…

P.S.

This research echoes our earlier work. In 2016, InformNapalm published The Russian Generals’ Funeral March, showing that most suspicious deaths among Russian generals occurred during periods of active warfare. In 2021, Roskomnadzor attempted to block access, claiming it “threatened national security.”

Our current material about top managers, published in a time of full-scale war and internal instability, takes on even greater relevance, especially widely disseminated among Russian officials and top managers. Who knows, perhaps the patterns noted in this analysis could prompt some of them to decide to evacuate from the Russian Federation and cooperate with Ukrainian or European intelligence services. This is a good way to avoid “falling out of the window,” get a fungal poisoning, or be involved in a lethal “family drama”.

By Andrii Luchkov, Alex Alexidze, and Roman Burko with the assistance of Prometheus Center specially for InformNapalm readership. Distribution and reprint with reference to the source is welcome! (Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0) Subscribe to InformNapalm social media pages: FacebookTwitter / Telegram / Slate (Sl8).

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The post The Suicide Squad: top managers of the Russian public sector dying suspiciously during wartime. Infographics. appeared first on InformNapalm.org (English).

July 11, 2025 7:52am

Ukraine Photos

Ben Borges

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine needs a total of 10 Patriots and voiced hope that other European partners will join the new financing scheme.

July 11, 2025 7:23am

Ukraine Russia Photos

Ben Borges

The number includes 1,040 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

July 11, 2025 6:58am

Ukraine Photos

Ben Borges

The Netherlands has pledged $350 million to support Ukraine’s reconstruction and economic recovery through 2026, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp announced July 10 at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome.

July 11, 2025 5:01am

Ukraine Russia Photos USA

Ben Borges

In a July 10 interview with NBC News, U.S. President Trump said he plans to make a “major statement” on Russia next week and revealed a new U.S.-NATO weapons deal for Ukraine.

July 11, 2025 3:40am

Russia Photos

Ben Borges

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with United States Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal on July 10, urging stronger sanctions against Russia and emphasizing the need to maintain international pressure to bring an end to Moscow’s continued aggression.

July 11, 2025 1:36am

Ukraine Russia Photos

Ben Borges

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Russia’s intention to drastically escalate its drone attacks, potentially launching up to 1,000 drones per day, but noted that Ukraine already has effective countermeasures.

July 10, 2025 11:54pm

Ukraine Photos

Ben Borges

Ukrainian venture capital firm Flyer One Ventures announced the first closing of its new multi-million fund, dedicated to supporting early-stage technology companies across Ukraine as well as central and eastern Europe.

July 10, 2025 10:05pm

Ukraine Photos USA

Ben Borges

Until now, the Trump administration’s military aid to Ukraine had only consisted of weapons authorized by former President Joe Biden. The Presidential Drawdown Authority allows the president to directly transfer weapons from U.S. military stocks in response to an emergency.

July 10, 2025 9:08pm

Ukraine Russia

Ben Borges

Key developments on July 10:

• Rubio discusses 'new approach' to ending Russian war in talks with Lavrov despite US 'frustration'
• U.S. reportedly resumes some arms deliveries to Ukraine after pause
• 2 killed, 25 injured as Kyiv slammed with drones, ballistic missiles in Russian mass attack

July 10, 2025 8:59pm

Ben Borges

The past 24 hours have signaled yet another decisive moment in the war, even if it might not immediately seem that way.

July 10, 2025 8:48pm

Ukraine

Ben Borges

The post-war plan will aim to regenerate Ukraine’s land forces, provide air policing in coordination with Ukraine’s Air Force, and expand Black Sea mine-clearing efforts to restore maritime access.

July 10, 2025 7:26pm

Ukraine

Ben Borges

“We need a person (as an ambassador to the U.S.) to be strong and to be in the context of the most important thing, in the context of strengthening Ukraine — through weapons, first of all. Therefore, one of my ideas is that it can be Ukraine’s defense minister,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.