Russian executive linked to Putin energy giant Gazprom is found shot dead in his swimming pool in latest mystery death of country’s tycoons
- Yuri Voronov, 61, found dead at his mansion in the suburbs of St Petersburg
- He ran transport company which had contracts with Russian gas giant Gazprom
- Voronov was found floating in the pool of his mansion with bullet in his head
- He is is sixth wealthy Russian to die – and the third in the same St Petersburg suburb – in mysterious circumstances since the start of the year
A multi-millionaire Russian businessman has been shot dead at his mansion, the latest elite with links to energy giant Gazprom to die in recent months.
Yuri Voronov, 61, head of a logistics company that held lucrative contracts with Gazprom in the Arctic, was found dead at his home in an ultra-wealthy suburb of St Petersburg around 2pm Monday.
Voronov was found floating in the swimming pool with a gunshot wound to his head, a Grand Power pistol nearby, and several spent cases at the bottom of the pool.
He is at least the sixth wealthy Russian businessman to die in mysterious circumstances since the start of the year, many of them with links to Gazprom, and two of whom died in the same St Petersburg suburb as Voronov.
Yuri Voronov, 61, was found dead around 2pm Monday at his mansion near St Petersburg with a gunshot wound to the head
Voronov was found floating in the pool of his mansion in an exclusive suburb of St Petersburg (neighbourhood, pictured above)
The Russian Investigative Committee is probing Voronov’s death, which they are currently attributing to a ‘dispute with business partners’.
His wife has reportedly told investigators that Voronov believed he was being swindled out of ‘a lot of money’ by ‘dishonorable’ contractors and partners.
But a number of deaths at other mansions near St Petersburg have led to rumours of murders being staged to look like suicides.
Alexander Tyulakov, 61, a senior Gazprom financial and security official, was found hanged at his home in the exclusive Leninsky development by a lover in February.
Investigators said he had killed himself, but local reports said his body showed signs of a beating – suggesting the hanging was staged.
Three weeks earlier, in the same housing development, 60-year-old Leonid Shulman was found stabbed to death in his bathroom.
Shulman was the head of transport at Gazprom Invest, a branch of the energy giant that handles its investment projects.
Billionaire Alexander Subbotin, 43, a former senior executive at energy giant Lukoil, was also found dead in May after ‘taking advice from shamans’.
One theory is that he was poisoned by toad venom that triggered a heart attack.
In April, wealthy Vladislav Avayev, 51, a former Kremlin official, appeared to have taken his own life after killing his wife Yelena, 47, and daughter, 13.
He had high level links to leading Russian financial institution Gazprombank.
Friends have disputed reports that he was jealous after his wife admitted she was pregnant by their driver.
There are claims he had access to the financial secrets of the Kremlin elite.
Several days later multimillionaire Sergey Protosenya, 55, was found hanged in Spain, after evidently killing with an axe his wife Natalia, 53, and their teenage daughter, Maria.
He was a former deputy chairman of Novatek, a company also closely linked to the Kremlin.
As with Avayev, it is suggested this may have been an assassination made to appear a murder-and-suicide.
Last week a mobile phone multi-millionaire and his wife were found stabbed to death in another case that has raised questions.
Naked Yevgeny Palant, 47, and his wife Olga, 50, both Ukrainian-born, were found with multiple knife wounds by their daughter Polina, 20.
Immediate briefing to the media claimed the woman took her own life in a jealous rage after Palant said he was leaving her.
Yet this was strongly disputed by the couple’s best friend.
Sergey Protosenya, 55, was found hanged in Spain, after apparently killing his wife Natalia, 53, and their teenage daughter, Maria, with an axe
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