A senior Russian oil executive has died after falling from a Moscow hospital window, months after his company criticized the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ravil Maganov, chairman of the board of directors of Lukoil, Russia’s largest private oil company, “fell from a window of the central clinical hospital”, the Interfax news agency wrote on Thursday, citing a source. “He died of injuries sustained.”
Lukoil said Maganov “died after a serious illness”. The company did not specify why Maganov was being treated.
It was not immediately clear whether his death was an accident, suicide or caused by foul play. Russian state news agencies, citing an unnamed source, reported that Maganov had been admitted to hospital with a heart condition and was on antidepressants.
Baza, a Russian news site closely linked to the police, suggested he may have slipped off a balcony while smoking and that no CCTV was available as cameras had been turned off for repairs.
Meanwhile, the state-run Tass news agency claimed on Thursday that Maganov had taken his own life, citing a Russian security service source who called Maganov’s death a “suicide”. This version of events could not be immediately verified by the Guardian.
Half a dozen businessmen linked to Russia’s energy industry have died in apparent suicides or in mysterious circumstances since the outbreak of war in Ukraine. None of the deaths have been classified as murder.
Maganov’s death drew attention as Lukoil was rare among Russian energy companies to criticize the invasion of Ukraine, publicly calling for a ceasefire just a week after Vladimir Putin announced the start of ” Moscow’s special military operation.
“Calling for the speediest end to the armed conflict, we express our sincere empathy for all the victims who are affected by this tragedy,” said Lukoil’s board. “We strongly support a lasting ceasefire and resolving the issues through serious negotiations and diplomacy.”
Maganov was a prominent member of the Russian business elite. He was a close associate of one of Lukoil’s founders, Vagit Alekperov, a former Soviet oil minister who resigned as CEO shortly after the UK and EU imposed sanctions on him.
Maganov had worked at Lukoil since 1993 and had overseen the refining and exploration divisions before being named chairman of its board in 2020.
A former Lukoil senior executive was found dead in the basement of a Moscow suburban residence in May. According to Russian reports, the house belonged to a self-proclaimed shaman who practiced purification rights. Investigators said the preliminary cause of death was heart failure.
The incident happened the same day that Vladimir Putin went to the hospital for pay tribute to Mikhail Gorbachevthe last leader of the Soviet Union.