He is the sixth wealthy Russian businessman to die mysteriously since the start of the year, many of them with connections to Gazprom
A multi-millionaire Russian businessman has been shot dead in his mansion, the latest figure with ties to energy giant Gazprom to die in recent months, the Daily Mail reports.
Yuri Voronov, 61, head of a logistics company that had lucrative contracts with Gazprom in the Arctic, was found dead at his home in a St. Petersburg suburb around 2 p.m. on Monday, July 4. Voronov was found floating in the pool with a gunshot wound to the head, a Grand Power pistol nearby, and several spent bullets at the bottom of the pool.
He is – at least – the sixth wealthy Russian businessman to die mysteriously since the start of the year, many of them with connections to Gazprom, and two of whom died in the same suburb of St Petersburg as Voronov.
The Russian Investigative Committee is investigating his death, which – for now – it attributes to a “dispute with business partners”. His wife reportedly told investigators that Voronov believed a lot of money had been stolen from him by “dishonest” contractors and associates.
However, a number of deaths in other mansions near St. Petersburg have led to rumors of murders being staged to look like suicides.
Alexander Tyulakov, 61, a senior Gazprom finance and security official, was found hanged in his Leninsky District home by his lover in February. Investigators said he took his own life, but local reports said his body bore signs of a beating, suggesting the hanging was staged.
Three weeks earlier, in the same area, 60-year-old Leonid Shulman was found stabbed to death in his bathroom. He was the head of the Transport Department of Gazprom Invest, a branch of the energy giant that handles various investment projects.
Billionaire Alexander Subbotin, a former top executive at energy giant Lukoil, was also found dead in May after “taking advice from shamans”.
In April, wealthy Vladislav Avayev, a former Kremlin official, appeared to have taken his own life after killing his 47-year-old wife Yelena and 13-year-old daughter. He had high ties to leading Russian financial institution Gazprombank. Friends of his have disputed reports he was jealous after his wife admitted she was pregnant by their driver. There are allegations that he had access to the financial secrets of the Kremlin elite.
Several days later multi-millionaire Sergey Protosenya was found hanged in Spain after first axing his wife Natalia and their teenage daughter. He was a former deputy chairman of Novatek, a company also closely linked to the Kremlin.
Last week a mobile phone multi-millionaire and his wife were found stabbed to death in another case that raised questions.
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