Two Russian oligarchs have apparently killed their families and then themselves within two days of each other.
51-year-old former Kremlin insider and Gazprombank vice-president Vladislav Avayev is said to have killed his wife and 13-year-old daughter in their luxury apartment in Moscow, while the following day 55-year-old former Novatek deputy chairman Sergey Protosenya is said to have murdered his wife and 18-year-old daughter at their mansion in Spain.
The killings in the Moscow apartment were carried out with a gun, while the killings in Spain were carried out by a knife after which the perpetrator is alleged to have hung themselves.
While the cases may appear as murder-suicides, the ongoing tensions within Russia given the war in Ukraine and the recent sanctions on oligarchs by Western nations, will likely cause some to believe the murders and suicides may have been staged by enemies or the Russian state.
Putin has spoken out against those oligarchs who live in foreign nations and adopt their 'values'. It is also believed that the oligarchs may be one of the few groups in Russian society with the ability to put pressure on the Russian regime.
Putin said last month:
"I do not judge those with villas in Miami or the French Riviera. Or [those] who can't get by without oysters or foie gras or so-called 'gender freedoms'…The problem is they mentally exist there, and not here, with our people, with Russia."
Novatek, Protosenya's former company, released a statement following his death, which read:
"In connection with reports of the tragic death of former member of the Company's Management Board, Sergey Protoseni [Protosenya], and his family members, Novatek expresses its sincere condolences to all those affected by this tragic situation. Sergey Protosenya [Protosenya] worked in the Novatek Group from 1997 to 2015 and has proven himself to be a wonderful person and a wonderful family man, a strong professional who has made a great contribution to the formation and development of the company. Unfortunately, there have been speculations on this topic in the media, but we are convinced that these speculations are not related to reality. We hope that the law enforcement agencies of Spain will conduct a thorough and objective investigation and sort out what happened."
[Based on reporting by: Newsweek]
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