Vitaly Robertus, vice president of Kremlin oil giant Lukoil, who initially opposed the war in Ukraine, was found dead in his Moscow office.
A Russian oil tycoon has reportedly been found dead in an apparent suicide in the office of a Kremlin-linked company.
Lukoil boss Vitaly Robertus is the fifth executive at Russia's second-largest oil giant to be found dead since President Vladimir Putin's war with Ukraine broke out two years ago. His death was announced Wednesday, but the exact circumstances remained shrouded in mystery.
The company has also not publicly commented on the vice president's death. Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, which has close ties to law enforcement, cited friends and associates as saying Robertus may face criminal proceedings amid a bitter feud at the upper echelons of a company targeted by U.S. sanctions. He said he was afraid that it would happen.
Before returning to his office, Robertus met with Lukoil's senior vice president of sales and supply Oleg Pashayev, the channel reported. However, when he did not answer the phone, Pashayev later went looking for him.
He entered his office at the oil company's Moscow headquarters and found Mr. Robertas dead. Company medics were called to the scene rather than a regular ambulance, but they were unable to revive him. An investigation into his death was subsequently launched.
“Colleagues told arriving law enforcement officers that there had been a tense atmosphere at work recently and that the vice president had become nervous. [Robertus] I was very worried,” the channel reported. The company, which initially opposed Putin's war, has already seen a number of high-profile deaths.
In November, Vladimir Lebedev, a Russian senator and war supporter with close ties to Lukoil, died suddenly at the age of 60 in a “terrible tragedy” of unknown causes. He had close business ties with Lukoil's late board chairman Vladimir Nekrasov, 66. He “suddenly” suffered from “acute heart failure” in October.
Lebedev was also a longtime friend and hunting partner of Sergei Kiriyenko, 61, a Kremlin aide to President Vladimir Putin. Sergei Kirienko is a former Russian prime minister and dictator's chief of staff who was responsible for ensuring the autocrat's victory in this week's presidential election.
Meanwhile, former businessman Rabil Maganov died in September 2022 after falling from a sixth-floor window at the Moscow Central Clinical Hospital, also known as the Kremlin Clinic. While suspected of murder, 67-year-old Raganov was visiting a clinic for a long-standing heart condition.
His mysterious death occurred on the same morning that President Vladimir Putin, who previously bestowed Mr. Maganov with the highest award, visited the hospital to pay tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, who died the same week. Ta. In May of the same year, it was announced that billionaire and Lukoil manager Alexander Subbotin, 43, was found dead after “receiving shamanic advice”.
One theory is that Mr. Sabotin, who also ran a shipping company, was poisoned by toad venom, which caused a heart attack. At the beginning of the war, Lukoil appeared to have little loyalty to Putin and demanded negotiations to end the fighting.
The company's board issued a statement a week after the start of the war, saying: “We are concerned about the ongoing tragic events in Ukraine and express our deep condolences to all those affected by this tragedy. '. The board of directors, which includes Messrs. Maganov and Nekrasov, said: We support the early cessation of armed conflicts and fully support resolution through the negotiation process and diplomatic means. ”
After Robertus' death, Lukoil issued a condolence statement, but did not go into details about the circumstances of his death. “His more than 30 years of service to Lukoil has earned him the respect of his colleagues within the company and across the industry,” the statement said.
“For his contribution to the development of the country's fuel and energy complex, he received state and departmental awards. He remains in our hearts as a capable leader, a versatile person and a caring comrade. It will be remembered.”
Mr. Robertus was one of Russia's most talented aviation modelers. He is an honorary sports master of the Russian Federation, seven-time Russian champion and four-time world champion in aviation modeling. He was also a certified airplane and helicopter pilot.
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