The chairman of the board of Russia’s largest private oil company Lukoil - one of the only Russian businesses to criticise the invasion of Ukraine - has died. The country’s news agencies have cited sources saying he had fallen from a hospital window in what may have been a suicide.
A Lukoil statement said Ravil Maganov had “passed away after a severe illness” but did not give further details. Russian news reports said his body was found in the grounds of the Central Clinical Hospital, where Russia’s political and business elite are often treated.
He appeared to have fallen from a sixth-storey window, the reports said, although The Telegraph reports there are apparently no CCTV cameras in the area where it happened because of ongoing renovation work.
State news agency Tass cited an unnamed law enforcement source as saying Mr Maganov had taken his own life and that he had been admitted to the hospital after a heart attack. He had also reportedly complained of feeling depressed. The news site RBK also said police were investigating the possibility of suicide.
Lukoil was one of a few Russian companies to publicly call for an end to the country’s military operation in Ukraine, pressing in March for the “immediate cessation of the armed conflict”.
At the time, they said the events in Ukraine were "tragic", adding: "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."
In a statement this morning, Lukoil said they "deeply regret" to announce Mr Maganov's death. They said: "Ravil Maganov immensely contributed to the development of not only the company, but of the entire Russian oil and gas sector.
"For his successes in the development of Russian fuel and energy sector, Ravil Maganov received many national awards. Lukoil's many thousands of employees mourn deeply for this grievous loss and express their sincere condolences to Ravil Maganov's family."
Mr Maganov had worked for Lukoil since the early 1990s and had been considered a Kremlin loyalist, the Telegraph reports. He is the latest in a string of Russian businessmen who have died in mysterious circumstances since the start of the war in Ukraine in February.
