At least 17 senior Russian executives die under suspicious circumstances since 2022

At least 17 top managers connected to Russia’s largest companies have died under suspicious or unclear circumstances since 2022.

The cause of death in the majority of these deaths have been cited as suicide by Russian authorities. Among those are executives at major firms such as Gazprom, Lukoil, Novatek, and Transneft. Many of the deaths involve falls from windows, gunshot wounds, or sudden unexplained deaths at home or abroad, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

In 2022 alone, 10 senior managers died unexpectedly. Among them were Leonid Shulman, head of transport at Gazprom Invest, found dead in his country home, and Vladislav Avaev, former vice president of Gazprombank, who was shot dead with his family in Moscow. Others included Sergey Protosenya of Novatek, whose body was found at his villa in Spain alongside his wife and daughter.

The trend continued into 2023 and 2024, with executives from leading firms dying from falls, suspected suicides, or sudden illness. Notable cases include a vice president of Loko-Bank falling from a window after a party and a Lukoil vice president found dead in his office.

The most recent case, on July 4, 2025, involved Andrey Badalov, vice president of PJSC Transneft, who died after falling from his 17th-floor apartment window in Moscow. Officials noted he had pre-existing heart conditions.

Despite official explanations, the spate of deaths among Russia’s corporate elite has raised questions and attracted scrutiny both domestically and abroad.

By Sabina Mammadli