A report released on Tuesday evening revealed the discovery of the dead body of a prominent Russian official, who allegedly had financial connections with Vladimir Putin.
State-run news agency RIA Novosti reported that Konstantin Zavizenov’s body was found by his son at a country residence in the Istra district of Moscow. Law enforcement officials initially labeled the death a suicide, but this claim has been questioned by some.
Political analyst and race car driver Igor Sushko, a Ukrainian native, confirmed Zavizenov’s death but expressed doubt about the suicide theory.
Sushko posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Konstantin Zavizenov, a former Minister of Fuel, Energy, and Coal Industry for the Luhansk People’s Republic in Ukraine, was assassinated in Moscow with a gunshot to the head. He indicated Zavizenov had close ties to the Kovalchuk crime family and was closely linked to Putin.
According to the Telegram channel Cheka-OGPU, which provides underground information on Russian politicians, Zavizenov worked as the director of risk management at Moscow-based energy company Inter RAO from 2010 to 2016.
Inter RAO was run by Boris Kovalchuk, son of Yuri Kovalchuk, during Zavizenov’s tenure. The company was one of Russia’s leading energy firms at that time.
Russian writer Mikhail Zygar, a critic of President Putin, has described billionaire oligarch Yuri Kovalchuk as “the de facto second most powerful man in Russia.” The US-funded Radio Liberty has referred to Kovalchuk as “Putin’s personal banker.”
Before Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan Revolution, Zavizenov held the post of Minister of Fuel, Energy, and Coal Industry for the unrecognized Luhansk People’s Republic, a separatist region in eastern Ukraine.
In August of the same year, Zavizenov was appointed to a role in the self-proclaimed administration of Luhansk, which Russia later annexed in 2022. Since then, he had been active in separatist efforts in the region.
Zavizenov was also responsible for preparing the referendum on Luhansk’s incorporation into Russia, according to the sanctions-tracking website OpenSanctions.
Although he lost his position in June 2023, Zavizenov’s activities led to sanctions from the UK, the EU, and other countries.
Additionally, Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation included Zavizenov on its “List of War Enablers.” Navalny, a prominent critic of Putin, died in 2023 while imprisoned in Russia.
