Vyacheslav Taran co-founded Libertex in 1997
(Picture: Libertex)Tributes have been paid to a Russian crypto businessman who died in a helicopter crash on his way back home to Monaco from Switzerland.
Crypto billionaire Vyacheslav Taran, 53, died after his helicopter plunged to the ground in clear weather near Villefranche-sur-Mer killing him and the pilot on Friday.
He is the third crypto millionaire to have died in unexpected circumstances in recent weeks.
Mr Taran was married to Olga, the publisher of the well-known magazine ‘Hello Monaco’ and left behind three children.
One close family friend told Monaco Daily News Mr Taran was “a true global citizen and the kindest person in the world… He was a highly respected person both in Monaco and everywhere he worked.
“He was one of the most decent, amicable, smart, polite people I know.”
Another added: “He was a loving dad of three children, a dedicated family man with a passion to learn new ideas and to understand the world.”
Travel company Monacair, who Mr Taran was flying with, issued a statement saying: “At this stage of the investigation, no element concerning the circumstances of this accident can be pronounced.”
The 35-year-old pilot described as “very experienced” has, so far, not been identified.
Libertex, the exchange company he co-founded in 1997, said in a statement announcing his death: “Vyacheslav Taran will be missed more than words can express, and everyone at Libertex will eternally be grateful for what he has accomplished.
“We kindly ask that during this difficult and extremely painful time, the family’s privacy is respected.
“Libertex Group would also like to extend its condolences to the family of the pilot.”
His tragic death came soon after Tiantian Kullander, the co-founder of Hong Kong-based digital asset company Amber Group, has been found dead aged 30.
An Amber Group statement revealed that Kullander, who was named in the Forbes prestigious 30-under-30 list in 2019, “unexpectedly” died in his sleep on November 23. It did not share any other details.
On October 28, a third crypto entrepreneur Nikolai Mushegian, 29, allegedly drowned in a riptide after tweeting that he feared the CIA and Mossad were going to murder him.
Nikolai Mushegian dies at 29 in Puerto Rico.
— PlasBit (@PlasBit) November 6, 2022
He was a co-founder of the MakerDAO and decentralized Stablecoin DAI.
Mushegian died due to drowning after being dragged by sea currents in San Juan.
A vital part of the crypto community,
Condolences to his family🙏 pic.twitter.com/ZrxM6ezS2T
The 29-year-old, a co-founder of the cryptocurrency lending platform MakerDAO, then left his $6million beach house in Puerto Rico, for a walk. A surfer off Ashford Beach, a spot rife with riptides, discovered Mushegian’s body in the waves.
He was wearing his clothes and had his wallet on him, sources told The Post.
His family do not believe there was foul play involved, according to reports.
His death came just before the crypto market was rocked by FTX’s bankruptcy this month, losing at least $1 billion in customer funds.
