The French newspaper Le Figaro said that the Russian oligarchs have been falling one after the other since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, and many of them have been found dead in strange circumstances, which makes it worthy of being a detective novel.

And the newspaper stated - in a report supported by drawings by Jane Senchal - that within one year, 12 of this elite died in almost similar circumstances and at relatively close times, and the strangest thing is that they have links without exception with Russian companies linked to the energy sector, such as Gazprom and Lukoil, which raises Many questions that do not yet find any answer.

Leonid Shulman (communication sites)

January 30: Leonid Shulman committed suicide in the bathroom

One of the first deaths was that of Leonid Shulman, CEO of Gazprom, known for the extraction, processing and transportation of natural gas. He himself was also the head of the transportation department at Gazprom Invest, which manages the gas giant's investment projects.

Schumann, 60, died on January 30, just under a month before the start of the "special military operation" in Ukraine, and was found in the bathroom of his country house in St. Petersburg, Russia, with a suicide note next to him.

Alexander Tyulyakov (networking sites)

February 25: Alexander Tyulyakov... Forensic Exemption

A day after the invasion of Ukraine, Alexander Tyulyakov (61 years), who is the financial director of Gazprom itself, died suddenly and was found hanged in the garage of his home near St. One of the Russian opposition media.

Michael Watford (networking sites)

February 28: Michael Watford ... the gallows

On February 28, it was the turn of Michael Watford, the billionaire who made his fortune in oil and gas, and was found hanged in the garage of his home in the western suburbs of London, and the police spoke of an “incomprehensible” death without counting it as “suspicious”, as there is nothing Refers to non-suicide.

Vasily Melnikov (networking sites)

March 24: Vasily Melnikov dies.. 3 dead

On March 24, billionaire Vasily Melnikov, 43, was said to have committed suicide in his apartment in Nizhny Novgorod (western Russia), and his wife and two sons were found stabbed not far from him, and he was accused of triple murder.

The billionaire's neighbors seemed different about the issue of his death and the killing of his family members, and the Ukrainian Glavred website stated that he was suffering from great financial difficulties, and his business was on the verge of collapse due to the sanctions imposed on Russia.

Vladislav Avaev (communication sites)

April 18: Vladislav Avaev...the apartment is locked from the inside

Vladislav Avayev, 51, was a former vice president of Gazbom Bank (one of the largest lenders linked to Gazprom), and was also a former official in the Kremlin and the State Duma, before he was found shot dead in his apartment in Moscow, next to the bodies of his pregnant wife and daughter, according to the novel. Officially, he killed his family before killing himself.

But the American magazine Newsweek questioned the official version, based on the vice president of Gazprom Bank, who fled to Ukraine, and said that his former companion was killed.

Sergey Protosinya (communication sites)

April 19: Sergey Protosinya... rope, knife and ax

Sergei Protosini, 53, a billionaire and former director of Novatek (the second Russian gas company), of which he is still a member of its board of directors;

He, his wife and daughter were found dead in a house in the resort of Lloret de Mar, Spain, where they were on vacation.

The billionaire was hanging from a tree in the garden of the villa, while his wife and daughter were stabbed to death, and an ax and a knife stained with blood were found at the scene, and investigators suspected that the businessman killed his wife and daughter while they were sleeping, then committed suicide.

July 4: Yuri Voronov... a gun at the bottom of the pool

Yuri Voronov, 61, was a businessman and head of a partner enterprise of Gazprom Group. He was found dead in a swimming pool at his residence in Saint Petersburg with a bullet in the head, and a gun was found at the bottom of the pool.

Investigators were unable to determine if it was suicide or assassination, and his widow believes that he was a victim of fraud by his aides.

May 10: Alexander Subbotin... frog poison

Alexander Sobotin, 43, a former senior official in the Russian oil group Lukoil, went drunk to a magician he knew called Magua Flores on the outskirts of Moscow, and the magician cut his skin to pour frog poison in it, and he had a heart attack and vomited as a result.

September 1: Ravel Maganov...falls from a hospital window

Ravel Maganov, a businessman, is one of the oldest leaders of the oil company Lukoil, which he co-founded 30 years ago, and his death was announced due to a serious illness, according to his company, but the TASS and Interx news agencies claimed that he committed suicide by throwing himself from the sixth floor of the hospital in which he was being treated for problems in the heart.

September 10: Ivan Pechorin...a boat ride

Ivan Pechorin, 40, was the director of the Russian Far East and Arctic Development Company, and President Vladimir Putin assigned him to improve energy and mining resources in eastern Russia to face international sanctions. His body was found in the Sea of ​​Japan, and the Daily Mail newspaper reported that he fell into the sea from a sailboat. Russian media say he was drunk when he fell into the water.

September 21: Anatoly Gerashchenko... the accident

Anatoly Gerashchenko (72 years), a leading Russian expert and scientist in the field of aviation, died in suspicious circumstances, according to his employer, and the Moscow Institute indicated in an official statement that he died in an “accident”, while a Russian newspaper reported that he fell from a staircase that had not been installed. .

December 9: Dmitry Zelenov falls down the stairs

Dmitry Zelenov, 50, a Russian real estate tycoon, felt dizzy and fell down the stairs after having dinner with his friends. He reported that he was suffering from heart problems, and an Italian press said that he had recently criticized the Russian invasion of Ukraine.