Top Russian Oil Official Dies After Falling From Hospital Window Circumstances Unclear

Ravil Maghanov, the chairman of Russia’s second-largest oil producer Lukoil, died on Thursday after falling from a hospital window in Moscow, two sources familiar with the situation said, becoming the latest in a string of businessmen to meet with sudden unexplained deaths. The sources confirmed reports by several Russian media outlets that the 67-year-old had drowned to his death, but the circumstances under which he fell were unclear. Two people who knew Maganov well told Reuters they thought it highly unlikely he had killed himself. Another source close to the company said there was a belief among Lukoil management that he had committed suicide, but had seen no evidence or documents to support it. Asked by Reuters whether they were investigating the death as suspicious, Moscow police referred the question to the state’s Investigative Committee. The committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lukoil said in a statement that Maganov “died after a serious illness.” “Thousands of Lukoil employees deeply mourn this heavy loss and express their sincere condolences to the family of Ravil Maganov,” it said. Several other senior executives with ties to Russia’s energy industry have died suddenly in undisclosed circumstances in recent months. The day after Russia sent its forces into Ukraine in February, a Gazprom executive, Alexander Tyulakov, was found dead in his garage near St. Petersburg, Russian media reported. In April, Sergei Protosenya, a former top manager of Russia’s largest liquefied natural gas company Novatek, was found dead with his wife and daughter in a villa in Spain. Catalan regional police, who are investigating the case, said they believe he killed them and then killed himself. In May, Russian media reported that a former Lukoil director, Alexander Subbotin, was found dead in the basement of a house outside Moscow. That same month, Russian media reported that Vladislav Avayev, a former vice president of Gazprombank, was found dead in a Moscow apartment, along with the bodies of his wife and daughter. Maganov had worked at Lukoil since 1993, shortly after the company was founded, and had overseen its refining, production and exploration, becoming chairman in 2020. His brother Nail heads mid-sized Russian oil producer Tatneft. Unusually among Russian companies, Lukoil took a stand on Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine. In a March 3 statement, the company’s board expressed its concern over the “tragic events” in Ukraine and called for “the earliest possible end to the armed conflict” through negotiations. Maganov was a close associate of one of Lukoil’s founders, Vagit Alekperov, and often attended meetings of Russian oil producers and the energy ministry to decide on joint actions as part of the OPEC+ group of the world’s top oil producers. Alekperov, a former Soviet deputy oil minister, resigned as chairman of Lukoil in April, a week after Britain imposed an asset freeze and travel ban on him as part of sanctions over Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. Our Morning Update and Afternoon Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.

title: “Top Russian Oil Official Dies After Falling From Hospital Window Circumstances Unclear Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-07” author: “Thomas Rosas”

Ravil Maghanov, the chairman of Russia’s second-largest oil producer Lukoil, died on Thursday after falling from a hospital window in Moscow, two sources familiar with the situation said, becoming the latest in a string of businessmen to meet with sudden unexplained deaths. The sources confirmed reports by several Russian media outlets that the 67-year-old had drowned to his death, but the circumstances under which he fell were unclear. Two people who knew Maganov well told Reuters they thought it highly unlikely he had killed himself. Another source close to the company said there was a belief among Lukoil management that he had committed suicide, but had seen no evidence or documents to support it. Asked by Reuters whether they were investigating the death as suspicious, Moscow police referred the question to the state’s Investigative Committee. The committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lukoil said in a statement that Maganov “died after a serious illness.” “Thousands of Lukoil employees deeply mourn this heavy loss and express their sincere condolences to the family of Ravil Maganov,” it said. Several other senior executives with ties to Russia’s energy industry have died suddenly in undisclosed circumstances in recent months. The day after Russia sent its forces into Ukraine in February, a Gazprom executive, Alexander Tyulakov, was found dead in his garage near St. Petersburg, Russian media reported. In April, Sergei Protosenya, a former top manager of Russia’s largest liquefied natural gas company Novatek, was found dead with his wife and daughter in a villa in Spain. Catalan regional police, who are investigating the case, said they believe he killed them and then killed himself. In May, Russian media reported that a former Lukoil director, Alexander Subbotin, was found dead in the basement of a house outside Moscow. That same month, Russian media reported that Vladislav Avayev, a former vice president of Gazprombank, was found dead in a Moscow apartment, along with the bodies of his wife and daughter. Maganov had worked at Lukoil since 1993, shortly after the company was founded, and had overseen its refining, production and exploration, becoming chairman in 2020. His brother Nail heads mid-sized Russian oil producer Tatneft. Unusually among Russian companies, Lukoil took a stand on Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine. In a March 3 statement, the company’s board expressed its concern over the “tragic events” in Ukraine and called for “the earliest possible end to the armed conflict” through negotiations. Maganov was a close associate of one of Lukoil’s founders, Vagit Alekperov, and often attended meetings of Russian oil producers and the energy ministry to decide on joint actions as part of the OPEC+ group of the world’s top oil producers. Alekperov, a former Soviet deputy oil minister, resigned as chairman of Lukoil in April, a week after Britain imposed an asset freeze and travel ban on him as part of sanctions over Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. Our Morning Update and Afternoon Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.