Camilla Jessen
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, a troubling pattern has emerged.
Since the beginning of Russia’s war in Ukraine, a string of sudden and unexplained deaths has struck top Russian business and government figures—many with ties to major state energy companies like Gazprom, Lukoil, and Transneft.
Official explanations have ranged from suicide to heart failure, but the sheer number, timing, and circumstances of these deaths raise serious questions.
Here’s a closer look at 13 such cases, compiled and analyzed by Meduza.
Leonid Shulman
Date: January 2022
Head of the transportation service at Gazprom Invest, Shulman was found dead in the bathtub of his country house near St. Petersburg.
Authorities ruled the death a suicide, but reports offered little explanation.
Alexander Tyuliakov
Date: February 2022
A top security executive at Gazprom, Tyuliakov was discovered hanged in the garage of his upscale residence near St. Petersburg, just weeks after Shulman.
His death was also labeled a suicide.
Vladislav Avaev
Date: April 2022
The former vice president of Gazprombank was found shot dead in his Moscow apartment, alongside the bodies of his wife and daughter.
Police claimed it was a murder-suicide, though questions remain.
Sergei Protosenia
Date: April 2022
The former CEO of Novatek, Russia’s second-largest gas producer, was found dead in Spain.
His wife and daughter were also murdered.
Spanish authorities initially echoed Russia’s version of a family tragedy, but inconsistencies remain.
Alexander Subbotin
Date: May 2022
A former Lukoil board member, Subbotin was found dead in a private home in Mytishchi, outside Moscow.
Early reports cited “heart failure,” though strange details involving alleged alternative healing rituals complicated the narrative.
Yuri Voronov
Date: July 2022
The founder of Astra-Shipping, a Gazprom contractor, Voronov was discovered in his swimming pool in the Leningrad region with a gunshot wound to the head.
Authorities did not confirm foul play.
Ravil Maganov
Date: August 2022
Chairman of Lukoil’s board, Maganov fell from a hospital window in Moscow while undergoing treatment.
Lukoil later released a statement claiming his death was due to illness, despite the circumstances.
Oleg Zatsepin
Date: December 2022
Director general of Kogalimneftegaz, a Lukoil subsidiary, Zatsepin was found dead in his office.
The death received minimal coverage, but was attributed to natural causes.
Viacheslav Rovneiko
Date: February 2023
A veteran oil executive and co-founder of Urals Energy, Rovneiko was found dead in his home on the elite Rublyovka Highway near Moscow.
No official cause was made public.
Vladimir Nekrasov
Date: October 2023
Chairman of Lukoil’s board of directors, Nekrasov reportedly died of “acute heart failure.”
His death followed a series of similar reports about other executives at the same company.
Vitali Robertus
Date: March 2024
Vice president of Lukoil, Robertus was discovered dead in his Moscow office.
Like others before him, his death drew little attention and no official explanation beyond presumed health issues.
Andrei Badalov
Date: July 2025
Vice president of Transneft, Russia’s state-owned oil pipeline company, Badalov reportedly fell from the window of his apartment on Rublyovskoye Highway. The fall was ruled accidental, but no further details were provided.
Roman Starovoit
Date: July 2025
Most recently, Roman Starovoit, Russia’s former transport minister, was found dead in his car just hours after being dismissed by presidential decree.
Authorities said he had shot himself in a parking lot outside Moscow.
