1. Pavel Antov
In December 2022, it was reported that Pavel Antov, a notable Russian tycoon, tragically fell from a hotel window in Rayagada, India, on the 25th, shortly following his 65th birthday.
Antov, a prominent politician and millionaire, had allegedly criticized Putin’s conflict with Ukraine on
WhatsApp after a missile strike in Kyiv. Though he rapidly erased the comment and claimed it had been written by someone else, the BBC captured the information.
Vyacheslav Kartukhin, Vice Speaker of the Regional Parliament, mourned the loss on his Telegram channel, TASS, a Russian news agency, reported. He stated, “Our colleague, a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist Pavel Antov passed away.” He continued, “On behalf of the deputies of the United Russia faction, I express my deep condolences to relatives and friends.”
2. Ravil Maganov
The Chairman of Lukoil, Mr. Ravil Maganov, had expressed explicit criticism towards Russia’s incursion into Ukraine, as depicted by a CNBC report. Following the commencement of warfare, the oil conglomerate made a declaration requesting an immediate and definitive end to the military skirmish, as per the report.
Much like Antov, Maganov’s demise occurred under the peculiar circumstance of falling from a Moscow hospital window in September 2022, it was reported by the outlet. Contradictory to this, Lukoil had released a statement (which is no longer available) stating that the 67-year-old Chairman met his end due to a grave and debilitating illness.
3. Dan Rapoport.
The Daily Beast reported that Dan Rapoport, a businessman, repeatedly expressed his disapproval of the Russia-Ukraine war on various social media platforms. It was noted that he was a staunch supporter of Ukraine.
In August 2022, according to the same report, Rapoport was found dead outside an apartment complex in Washington, D.C. Police revealed that at the time of the discovery, he had a Florida driver’s license, wore a black hat, had slightly more than $2500 in possession, and donned orange flip-flops.
4. Mikhail Lesin.
Mikhail Lesin, the Russian minister of the press, was discovered dead from a severe blow to his head in a hotel room in Washington, DC, back in November 2015.
Lesin was the founder of the English language TV network Russia Today (RT). According to the Daily Beast, he was contemplating an agreement with the FBI to safeguard himself from corruption allegations prior to his demise.
For a considerable duration, Lesin was central to Russian political life. His position would have granted him extensive knowledge of the modus operandi of the affluent and influential.
5. Boris Nemtsov.
Boris Nemtsov, a notable critic of Putin, had previously served as the deputy prime minister of Russia under Boris Yeltsin’s administration. According to the BBC, his criticism revolved around allegations of Putin being financially backed by oligarchs. Tragically, in 2015, he was murdered just a few yards away from the Kremlin, having been shot four times in the back while returning home from a restaurant.
