Suspicious Russia-related deaths since 2022

Since the beginning of 2022, a series of deaths involving Russia-related businessmen and officials—many with ties to the energy sector—has drawn international attention due to circumstances described by various media outlets as suspicious. Reported patterns include individuals falling from windows or heights, apparent suicides, and unexplained accidents.

The Dutch broadcaster NOS described the pattern in June 2022 as "a grim series of Russian billionaires, many from the oil and gas industries, who have been found dead under unusual circumstances since early this year." NOS cited the case of Leonid Shulman, a 60-year-old transport chief for Gazprom, who was found dead on 30 January 2022 in the bathroom of his country house in the Leningrad region, with a suicide note beside his body. CNN Portugal similarly referred to a pattern of "millionaires with direct or indirect links to the Kremlin found dead in a mystery scenario since the beginning of the year," referencing an earlier USA Today investigation that had identified 38 Russian businessmen and oligarchs close to the Kremlin who died in mysterious or suspicious circumstances between 2014 and 2017. The phenomenon has been informally termed "sudden Russian death syndrome" or "sudden oligarch death syndrome."

Analysts are divided on interpretation. Some commentators have ruled out suicide or illness as explanations, while others, including Fiona Hill and Mark Galeotti, have expressed skepticism toward conspiracy theories, noting the deaths may not be centrally connected and could include genuine suicides as well as killings tied to competition among influential business factions rather than a coordinated Kremlin campaign. Context cited includes Russia's suicide rate, described as the third-highest in the world, and a previously noted 2020 trend of doctors treating COVID-19 patients falling from high windows. Commentators have also pointed to pressures on the Russian business community from the war in Ukraine and international sanctions as a possible contributing factor to suicide rates.

Family members of several deceased individuals have publicly disputed official findings and called for independent investigations. Igor Volobuyev, a former Gazprombank vice-chairman who left Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, said in an interview that he believed the reported murder-suicide involving his former colleague Vladislav Avayev had been staged. The son of Sergey Protosenya, former CEO of Novatek, stated that his father was not responsible for the deaths of his mother and sister in Lloret de Mar, Spain, asserting they were killed by someone else; Novatek issued a statement describing Protosenya as "a real family man" and called for a thorough Spanish investigation.

Businessman Bill Browder has stated his view that Vladimir Putin personally orders the killing or intimidation of business leaders who resist Kremlin influence, referencing the Russian term "mokroye delo" ("wet work") associated with coerced suicides. An investigative report by Novaya Gazeta suggested some deaths may relate to alleged large-scale accounting fraud among Gazprom executives allegedly funneling money to entities connected to the FSB and Russian military.