Russian Roulette: Oil boss Ravil Maganov and 8 others who died under suspicious circumstances in 2022

If there is a great spy thriller movie out there, all the imagination of the world won't hold a candle to real events in Putin's Russia. Russian energy giant company, Lukoil's chief, Ravil Maganov, died after reportedly falling from the 6th-floor balcony of a hospital. Maganov's death is the 9th such death under mysterious circumstances in Russia this year in the backdrop of the Ukraine invasion. 

Lukoil announced the death of its executive on September 1, 2022, in a press release. It stated that Maganov "passed away following a severe illness".

Why are we calling it a death under mysterious circumstances? There are multiple reasons for this: 

1. Ravil Maganov was among the rarest of rare people in the Russian elite who called Putin's invasion of Ukraine "tragic" and called for peace. 

"Calling for the soonest termination of the armed conflict, we express our sincere empathy for all victims who are affected by this tragedy. We strongly support a lasting ceasefire and a settlement of problems through serious negotiations and diplomacy," Lukoil's board of directors under Maganov had said this March, nearly a week after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

2. He was admitted to Moscow's Central Clinical Hospital for heart issues and was said to be on antidepressants. He died on the same day Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the same hospital to pay his respects to the first President of USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev.

3. Reports said the CCTV cameras at the site of the incident were not working because they were under repair. Again, this happens on the day Putin visits the hospital. 

4. While some media reports said it was a case of an accident or even suicide, there is no consensus on the cause of Maganov's fall. 

5. Maganov is not the only executive of Lukoil to have died under mysterious circumstances. 

The world is well aware of Russian President Vladimir Putin punishing his critics with dire measures, from nuclear poisoning to straight-up executions. 

We made a list of 8 other Russian oligarchs and executives who died under mysterious circumstances in the days leading up to Ukraine's invasion and after.

(Swipe left to see who they are)

Inside Russia, even for the most powerful and rich men, it seems to be a game of Russian roulette with President Vladimir Putin in charge.