Another Putin Senior Official Mysteriously Dies, Adds To Suspicious Deaths Since Ukraine War Began

Roman Malyk, a Russian official in charge of the mobilization and enlistment in Russia's far eastern region, was found dead, becoming the latest among officials and allies of President Vladimir Putin to have died a mysterious death.

Malyk was found dead on Oct. 14. His body was allegedly discovered hanging "on a fence" and "with signs of suicide," Russian independent news agency Meduza reported, citing local news outlet Vremya Peremen.

According to Meduza, the Telegram channel Mash reported that Malyk's corpse was found "near a fence."

Russian officials initially ruled the cause of death as heart problems. However, police have not ruled out the possibility of murder or suicide as the cause of death. People close to Malyk said they do not believe his death was a suicide, Meduza noted, without specifying the source of the information.

Malyk is the latest among the Russian officials who died mysterious deaths in the months following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Many of the officials who died were either connected to the Kremlin or to Russia's energy and technology sectors.

Ivan Pechorin, a top manager at the Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, was found dead on Sept. 10 after he allegedly fell off his luxury yacht and drowned near Cape Ignatyev. Days prior to his death, Pechorin took part in the Eastern Economic Forum which was also attended by Putin.

Igor Nosov, the 43-year-old general director of the same company, died from a stroke in February, as per Russian media.

Anatoly Gerashchenko, the former head of the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) University, died after falling down the stairs. In a press release published after his death, the university said Gerashchenko "passed away as a result of an accident."

Ravil Maganov, the chairman of the board of Russia's second-largest oil company Lukoil, died after allegedly tripping and falling from a hospital window while smoking.

Other officials who died mysterious deaths since February include Alexander Subbotin, a former top Lukoil executive; Vladislaw Avayev, the former vice president of Gazprombank; Sergei Protosenya, the former deputy chairman of gas company Novatek; and Alexander Tyulyakov, a Gazprom executive.