Senior managers in Russia continue to die mysteriously. The CEO of a company part of “Rosatom“ recently died. The death of the head of this key company is the 35th such case of sudden death among Russian officials and high-ranking managers since 2022, FREEDOM writes.
Alexander Tyunin, head of UMATEX Group, was found dead in the Moscow region. A rifle was found nearby, and a note in his car said he was "tired of fighting depression."
This is the 35th mysterious death of a top Russian executive since 2022, following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Publicly, all of these stories are explained the same way in Russia: not criminal activity, but some "personal circumstances." It seems as if Russia's wealthy and successful executives have largely forgotten how to live, and instead have mastered the art of disappearing at the right moment.
The list does not include random names. These are people who worked in sectors strategically important to the Kremlin: oil and gas, finance, defense, transportation, and public administration. Among them are the heads of Gazprom, Lukoil, Novatek and TAIF, as well as bankers and stockbrokers from institutions such as Gazprombank, Loko-Bank, RosEvroBank and the Moscow Exchange.
The victims share one, but extremely remarkable feature: they had access to extremely sensitive information - about corruption schemes, fraud and criminal transactions at the very top. And in Putin's Russia, such knowledge is dangerous to health.
„The majority of deaths occurred in Russia - Moscow, Moscow Region, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Sochi and Yakutsk. However, the geography also extends to foreign territories: Argentina (Dmitry Teslenko), the United Kingdom (Mikhail Tolstosheya), Spain (Sergey Protosenya) and India (Vladimir Bidanov and Pavel Antov). This shows that the so-called „geography of deaths“ was not limited to Russian territory. The most likely cause of death, when viewed through the prism of violent death, is the elimination of witnesses,“ says an InformNapalm publication.
The last on the list of those who suddenly died is Alexander Tyunin. His body was found near his car on the road near a forest in the Moscow region. A hunting rifle and a suicide note were found nearby. But more importantly, what his company was doing. It is the only carbon fiber manufacturer in Russia and a key supplier of materials for the “Shahed“ combat drones. These fibers are used to make the fuselages of Russian drones.
According to analysts, Putin generally refuses to admit personnel mistakes. Officials in Russia are not dismissed openly. Previously, they were either quietly transferred to new positions or “rewarded“ with criminal charges. But the full-scale war against Ukraine has significantly changed the rules of the game.
In today’s Russia, arrests have become routine, and many high-ranking officials have committed suicide.
The tensions within the Russian elite are becoming increasingly visible. One key signal was the unexpected dismissal of Dmitry Kozak, Putin’s longtime ally and deputy chief of staff.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, Kozak considered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine a mistake from the start and advocated for a quick end to the war. It is worth noting that Kozak was no ordinary official. He was part of Putin’s inner circle, someone he trusted. Moreover, according to journalists and experts, at the Security Council meeting on February 21, 2022, he was the only one who openly opposed the invasion of Ukraine.
Officially, Russian propagandists reported that Kozak had “started business“. But in Putin's system, voluntary resignations at this level are practically unheard of. His departure is a rare public sign that Russia's war on Ukraine is causing internal cracks even in the monolith of Putin's inner circle.
The sudden deaths of senior officials, the resignations of prominent figures, and the quiet fear in offices - all these are signs of the collapse of the regime. The Kremlin built its rule on fear, and now this fear is eroding the system itself.