Suspicious Russia-related deaths since 2022

Since the beginning of 2022, numerous Russia-related people, particularly businessmen and officials, have died under what some sources suggest were suspicious circumstances. Incidents include individuals who have suspiciously fallen out of windows, killed themselves, and died unexpectedly in accidents. Many businessmen were linked to energy companies such as Gazprom and Lukoil. The phenomenon has been called "sudden Russian death syndrome" or "sudden oligarch death syndrome", a play on sudden arrhythmic death syndrome.

Many analysts have suggested some deaths are political assassinations by the Russian state, including the Federal Security Service, related to greater pressure from the Russo-Ukrainian war and ensuing international sanctions against Russia. Others have argued more really are suicides, and some could be killings by competing influential clans to wipe out competitors.

Analysis

On 3 June 2022, the Dutch NOS news network described the phenomenon 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. The first was on 30 January, when 60-year-old Leonid Shulman, transport chief for Russian energy giant Gazprom, was found dead in the bathroom of his country house in the Leningrad region. Beside his body was a suicide note." On 6 July 2022, CNN Portugal described the group as "millionaires with direct or indirect links to the Kremlin found dead in a mystery scenario since the beginning of the year". It referred to a previous investigation by USA Today, which concluded that "38 Russian businessmen and oligarchs close to the Kremlin died in mysterious or suspicious circumstances between 2014 and 2017." The phenomenon has been called "sudden Russian death syndrome" or "sudden oligarch death syndrome", a play on sudden arrhythmic death syndrome.