The general director of the Russian Far East and Arctic Development Corporation, Ivan Pechorin, has died under mysterious circumstances. The 39-year-old was one of the closest managers of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was found dead on Russky Island in the Sea of Japan.
Several online media outlets, including the Belarusian opposition website Nexta, are reporting that he fell from a yacht after drinking too much. The official version says that Pechorin, who headed the Russian energy giant, had attended the Eastern Economic Forum chaired by Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok.
The official cause is a fall into the sea from his sailing yacht. The body was found at sea on Monday 13 September. "Ivan's death is an irreparable loss to friends, colleagues and the group," the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (Erdc) wrote in a note on its website.
There are already 13 Russian oligarchs and managers who have mysteriously passed away since the beginning of this year. The first was Leonid Shulman, 60, head of Gazprom Invest's transport service. He was found dead on January 29 in the bathroom of his Leninsky villa. Next to the body was a note in which he complained of pain from a broken leg.
On February 25, after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the second case occurred. He was Alexander Tyulyako, 61 years old, Deputy General Director of Gazprom Bank. Hanging in the garage of his villa and next to him was a note, but the contents of which were not disclosed.
Michael Watford, 66, whose real name was Mikhail Tolstosheya, of Ukrainian origin, died on February 28. The body of the energy tycoon was found at his home in Surrey, south-west London. The death was called "unexplained" by British police.
On March 23, it was Vasily Melnikov's turn. The 43-year-old was the owner of MedStorm, a medical supply company. Together with his body, that of his wife and two children was found in their apartment in Nizhny Novgorod. He was said to have committed suicide after killing his family