Ravil Maganov, the chairman of Russia’s second-largest oil giant Lukoil, died Thursday after falling from a hospital window in Moscow, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.
He is the latest in a line of executives to die suddenly and without apparent cause.
The 67-year-old was apparently dead, according to reports in various Russian media, although the details of his fall were not immediately clear.
A law enforcement source says the death was a suicide, according to the Russian state news agency. TASS. According to the quoted source, Maganov suffered a heart attack and was on antidepressants in addition to being hospitalized.
The information has not been confirmed by Reuters. According to three people who had a strong relationship with Maganov, they did not believe he would have committed suicide.
Although the source did not see any supporting evidence or documentation, another company insider claimed that Lukoil management believes he committed suicide.
The state investigative committee was contacted by Reuters with concerns about the death, but the state investigative committee did not respond.
Private company Lukoil competes with Rosneft, Russia’s largest state-owned energy company. Maganov “died after a serious illness,” the statement said.
“Lukoil’s thousands of employees deeply mourn this painful loss and express their sincere condolences to Ravil Maganov’s family,” he said.
In recent months, at least six other Russian businessmen, the majority with ties to the energy sector, have died very unexpectedly and without apparent cause.
With the exception of Sergei Protosenya, a former senior executive at Novatek, Russia’s largest liquefied natural gas producer, who was discovered at a property in Spain with the bodies of his wife and daughter, all of the deaths have occurred. in Russia. Catalonia Regional Police, which is investigating the crime, said they believe he killed them before killing himself.
Shortly after Lukoil was founded in 1993, Maganov began working there and soon rose to the post of chairman. He oversaw the company’s exploration, production and refining. Tatneft, a small Russian oil company, is run by his brother Nail.
Unusually for Russian companies, Lukoil has publicly expressed opposition to Moscow’s interference in Ukraine. The company’s board issued a statement on March 3 expressing sadness at the “tragic events” in Ukraine and calling for the “quickest possible end to the armed conflict” through discussion.
The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has imposed sectoral sanctions against Lukoil since 2014 following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
In addition to having refineries in Europe, particularly in Italy, Lukoil is trying to develop its activities in Africa. Rosneft, which has acquired several oil assets around Russia, has long been rumored to be interested in buying it. Both Rosneft and Lukoil have refuted the rumours.