War in Ukraine
Death in the Russian Oligarchy
A pattern of things to come? — Maybe not
Reading through the list of Russian oligarchs that have died since the invasion of Ukraine brought visions of the Romanovs. Though sanctions are putting pressure on Russian wealth, the weight of this news begins to fade under closer inspection.
Leonid Shulman — January 2022
At age 60, it appears Leonid Shulman committed suicide due to pain in his broken leg. He was wearing an Ilizarov apparatus, a sort of circular frame that serves as a cast, which can be a lengthy and painful process. I would have had access to pain medication but we do not know his mental condition at the time.
Shulman was the head of the transport service of Gazprom Invest and was on sick leave before the invasion of Ukraine. Transport service is not Uber, it manages contracts for fleet maintenance and there were investigations at the time into overpricing and possible kickbacks.
The net worth of Shulman is not known but is most likely in the low millions.
Alexander Tyulyakov — February 2022
Another Gazprom employee, this one was in charge of corporate security and previously, human resources. He was found by his gardener hanging in the garage near a note, the contents of which have not been disclosed. With a $25 million net worth, Alexander Tyulyakov is not what I would consider an oligarch and should not be confused with the Gazprom financial officer, Alexander Tyuliakov.
Mikhail Watford — February 2022
The Ukrainian-born Russian was found hanging in the garage of his home in the U.K. by his gardener. Originally named Mikhail Tolstosheya, he had a net worth of about $32 million. A long way from being in the Kremlin billionaire boys club but tied tightly enough to Russian oil and gas assets to get crushed by the sanctions. At 66 he must not have relished a pensioner’s future.
Vasily Melnikov — March 2022
The Melnikov died quite violently in his luxury apartment in Nizhny Novgorod 5 hours east of Moscow. It appears Melnikov killed his wife Galina and two sons, ages 10 and 4, before cutting his arteries in the bathroom.
He is referred to in the media as a billionaire but is reported to have a net worth of $700 million on the Forbes’ Russian top 200.
Vladislav Avaev — April 2022
The former vice-president of the third-largest bank in Russia was found along with his family in a luxury apartment in Moscow. He had shot his wife and 13-year-old daughter before killing himself. It was his 26-year-old daughter, Anastasia, who discovered the bodies.
Despite being a well-connected executive at a large bank, Avaev did not get him on the Forbes’ Russian top 200. This may also be due to his ability to keep his finances very private.
Sergey Protosenya — April 2022
The former top manager of Russia’s energy giant Novatek hanged himself after stabbing his wife and daughter to death at a rented villa in Spain. Protosenya’s net worth was $440 million, still not high to make the Forbes 200 cut which starts at $750 million.
Assessment
Though suicide rates are low among the wealthy, this story seems to be bolstered by the inclusion of one death before the invasion and all six having net worths under one billion. No yachts or private jets appeared in any of the stories.
The proximity of the two deaths in April can lead to looking for a pattern but only the two data points and the inclusion of other factors such as domestic issues in the case of Avaev compels me to assess all of these deaths as unfortunate losses of life but not important on the global stage.
Sources
Carbonaro, Giulia. “Every Russian Oligarch Who Has Died Since Putin Invaded Ukraine — Full List.” Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2022, www.newsweek.com/every-russian-oligarch-who-has-died-since-putin-invaded-ukraine-full-list-1700022.
Couper, Mattew. “What Is behind the Suicides of Top Managers of Gazprom?” Ruscrime, 4 Mar. 2022, www.ruscrime.com/politics/what-is-behind-the-suicides-of-top-managers-of-gazprom.
EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki. “Forbes List of Russia’s 200 Richest People 2021.” EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki, 2 Aug. 2021, en.everybodywiki.com/Forbes_list_of_Russia%27s_200_richest_people_2021.
Hindustan News Hub. “A Wave of Suicides of Top Managers Swept through Russian Gas Companies — The Moscow Times.” Hindustan News Hub, 21 Apr. 2022, hindustannewshub.com/russia-ukraine-news/a-wave-of-suicides-of-top-managers-swept-through-russian-gas-companies-the-moscow-times.
“U.S. Announces Sanctions on Key Members of Russia’s Defense Enterprise.” United States Department of State, 15 Mar. 2022, www.state.gov/u-s-announces-sanctions-on-key-members-of-russias-defense-enterprise.