MOSCOW : Ravil Maganov, 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 series of businessmen to meet with sudden unexplained deaths.
The sources confirmed reports by several Russian media that the 67-year-old had plunged to his death, but the circumstances surrounding his fall were unclear.Two people who knew Maganov well told Reuters they believed it was highly unlikely he had committed suicide.
Another source close to the company said there was a belief inside Lukoil management that he had killed himself, but he had not seen evidence or documents to support that.
Asked by Reuters if 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 had “passed away following a serious illness”.
“Lukoil’s many thousands of employees mourn deeply for this grievous loss and express their sincere condolences to Ravil Maganov’s family,” it said. Several other senior executives with ties to Russia’s energy industry have died suddenly in unclear circumstances in the past few months.
