Lukoil chairman dies after falling from Moscow hospital window under nebulous circumstances
The chairman of Lukoil, Russia's largest private company and No. 2 oil company, died Thursday morning after falling from a sixth-floor window of Moscow's Central Clinical Hospital, where he was being treated for a heart attack, the state-run Tass news agency reported. Lukoil confirmed the death of Ravil Maganov, 67, but said only that he had "passed away following a severe illness."
"It was not clear whether Maganov's death was an accident, a suicide or something more sinister," and "conflicting theories immediately emerged in the Russian media," The Washington Post reports. Tass citied an unidentified police source suggesting the death was suicide, while online outlet Baza reported he might have slipped while smoking on a balcony.
"Maganov's unexplained fall is at least the sixth fatal incident this year involving high-profile Russian oil and gas executives whose lives ended in gory or murky circumstances," the Post adds, including former Lukoil tycoon Alexander Subbotin, who died in Moscow of a heart attack in May after reportedly seeking alternative treatments from a shaman who offers his clients toad poison injections.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Lukoil CEO Vagit Alekperov resigned in late April after being sanctioned by Western countries over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Lukoil was the only Russian oil company to have spoken out against the invasion, expressing "concern over the ongoing tragic events in Ukraine" days after the Feb. 24 invasion and calling for "the immediate cessation of the armed conflict."
Critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin fall out of windows or off roofs frequently enough that any such death arouses suspicion. "Whenever someone who is in a negative view of the Putin regime dies suspiciously, one should rule out foul play, not rule it in," former Moscow financier Bill Browder told Politico after fellow prominent Putin critic Dan Rapoport fell to his death from a luxury apartment in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 14, carrying $2,620 in cash but no wallet or credit cards.
D.C. police appear to be treating Rapoport's death as a suicide, and his circle of Russian exiles offered mixed opinions to Politico. "There's an old saying that anyone can commit a murder but it takes brains to commit a suicide," said longtime Moscow correspondent David Satter. But Fiona Hill, the former senior White House Russia specialist, said suicide was a distinct possibility. "Not every unexplained death in Russia is the KGB or the GRU bumping someone off," she said.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Bird flu worries mount as virus found in milk, cows
Speed Read The FDA found traces of the virus in pasteurized grocery store milk
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Palazzo Durazzo Suites in Genoa: a palatial gem in northern Italy
The Week Recommends Live your Italian dream in this astonishing and recently restored palace in the heart of the city
By Nick Hendry Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 25, 2024
Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - TikTok in the firing line, protests on campus, and more
By The Week US Published
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine cheers House approval of military aid
Speed Read Following a lengthy struggle, the House has approved $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claims
Speed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'A speaker courageous enough to stand up to the extremists in his own party'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published