Ninth Russian executive killed in mysterious circumstances since Ukraine invasion

Russia has been rocked by yet another mysterious death after an executive became the ninth elite victim to die under “suspicious” circumstances this year.

The number of suspicious deaths involving Russian elites has risen yet again, with at least nine dying in mysterious circumstances since the invasion of Ukraine in February.

The latest was the alleged “suicide” of Pavel Pchelnikov, an executive with the Digital Logistics arm of Russian Railways, who had recently shared happy snaps taken on a family holiday on social media.

An investigation into the 52-year-old’s death is now underway, although authorities claimed he had taken his own life – a claim questioned by Russian news outlet We Can Explain, which noted Mr Pchelnikov was the latest in a long string of high-profile Russians to die in “suspicious” ways since the war in Ukraine got underway in February.

⚡️Another Russian top manager dead.

Pavel Pchelnikov of the Russian Railway subsidiary company "Digital Logistics" has reportedly committed suicide in Moscow. His body was found on the balcony.

— KyivPost (@KyivPost) September 29, 2022

Earlier this month, Lukoil oil company chairman Ravil Maganov died after falling from a Moscow hospital window, immediately sparking rumours he may have been assassinated after his company spoke out against the war.

In May, fellow Lukoil exec Alexander Subbotin was also found dead.

In July, the body of Yuri Voronov – the head of a transport and logistics company linked to Russian energy juggernaut Gazprom – was found in his pool, while senior Gazprom officials Alexander Tyulakov and Leonid Shulman also died earlier this year.

In April, ex-Kremlin official Vladislav Avayev died along with his wife and teenage daughter, and just days later multi-millionaire Sergey Protosenya was also found dead along with his wife and teen daughter in eerily similar circumstances.

Meanwhile, the recent death of Putin confidante Ivan Pechorin – who fell overboard from his boat – also raised suspicions, as did the deaths of uber-wealthy Yevgeny Palant and his wife.

All of those deaths were attributed to suicide, although there are growing suspicions they may have actually been assassinations.

Pavel Pchelnikov was found dead this week. Picture: East2West News

He had recently shared a series of holiday happy snaps online Picture: East2West News

Meanwhile, the list of obvious assassinations of Russian heavyweights is also growing.

In August, Darya Dugina – the 29-year-old daughter of Putin’s so-called “spiritual guide” Alexander Dugin – died in a fiery car bomb in Moscow which many believe was intended for her ultranationalist father, described as a mastermind of the Ukraine invasion.

Then, just days later, a top pro-Putin official was killed in another car bomb.

Ivan Sushko, a 40-year-old married father-of-one who served as an official in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, also died after a blast ripped apart his car.

Mr Sushko was the head of the Mykhailivka – Russia’s military-civilian administration – in the area, which houses Europe’s biggest nuclear plant.

Just one day before Mr Sushko’s death, another Russian leader narrowly survived a near-identical attempt on his life.

RAttention is turning to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s potential role. Picture: Ilya Pitalev/Sputnik/AFP

On Monday, the deputy head of domestic policy for occupied Kherson, Igor Telegin, was rushed to hospital after his car was targeted by a radio-controlled roadside bomb, although he is reportedly recovering despite sustaining extensive injuries.

And in recent weeks, at least two other Russian officials have been killed in Ukraine in similar circumstances, including Vitaly Gura, who was gunned down on August 6, and Dmitry Savluchenko, who died after a car bombing in late June.

So far, Russian state media is claiming the deaths were either suicides, or assassinations carried out by Russia’s enemies, such as Ukraine.

However, there are also growing rumours that KGB-trained President Vladimir Putin could be behind them, given most of the victims had expressed criticism of the war shortly before their demise.

The string of assassinations have reportedly rocked Russia’s elites – and many are now questioning who could be next.