Its billionaire chairman, Vagit Alekperov, resigned in April after the British government imposed sanctions in response to the invasion.
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Several other top executives linked to Russia’s energy industry have died suddenly under unclear circumstances in recent months. Although Russia has one of the world’s highest suicide rates for men, their deaths have fueled suspicion that they fell foul of the Kremlin.
The day after Russia sent its forces into Ukraine in February, a Gazprom executive, Alexander Tyulakov, was found dead in his garage near St. Petersburg, Russian media reported.
In April, a former vice president of Gazprombank, Vladislav Avayev, was found dead with his wife and daughter in their Moscow apartment. Police said Avayev likely killed his family in a murder-suicide, but have not indicated a possible motive.
A day later, the body of Novatek gas producer Sergei Protosenya’s top executive was found hanged in his Spanish villa along with his wife and teenage daughter, who had been stabbed to death.
Police also concluded that Protosenya killed his family before hanging himself, according to Spanish media, despite finding no suicide note or fingerprints on the murder weapons. Protosenya’s son later said he believed his father was killed.
In May, a former Lukoil tycoon, Alexander Subbotin, died of heart failure, after seeking alternative treatment from a shaman, who practiced esoteric medicine with toad venom, rooster blood and “the help of spirits” .
Mash reported that Subbotin had visited the couple “regularly” and was there for a session to cure him of a hangover. When Subbotin suddenly fell ill, the shaman gave him a valerian root tranquilizer and left him in a basement instead of calling an ambulance, he said. Since then, the police have opened a criminal case.
Maganov had been with Lukoil, Russia’s largest private company, since 1993, shortly after the company was founded and had overseen its refining, production and exploration, becoming chairman in 2020. His Brother Nail is the head of mid-sized Russian oil producer Tatneft.
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In its statement, the company said that Maganov’s managerial talent had made it one of the largest energy companies in the world.
“Ravil Maganov made a huge contribution to the development of not only the company, but the entire Russian oil and gas sector,” he said. “The thousands of Lukoil employees deeply regret this serious loss.”
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