2 Russian oligarchs were found dead one day apart alongside their wives and children, reports say
https://www.businessinsider.com/2-ru...reports-2022-4
Two Russian oligarchs were found dead alongside their wives and children one day apart, according to multiple reports.
Vladislav Avayev, the former vice president of Gazprombank, was found dead of a gunshot wound in his Moscow apartment on Monday, Russia's state-run Tass news agency reported.
The Moscow investigations department did not name the victims in its public statement about the case, but Tass said an unnamed source confirmed their identities.
Investigators wrote in their statement that they are prioritizing a theory that Avayev shot his wife and daughter, and then himself.
More than 2,000 miles away, in Spain, another oligarch — Sergei Protosenya — was found hanged, with his wife and daughter stabbed to death, Spanish TV channel Telecinco reported. His body was found Tuesday, Spanish outlet El Punta Vui reported.
He was found with a bloodstained knife and an ax at his side, Telecinco reported.
Protosenya was the former vice president and chief accountant of Novatek, a major gas company with close connections to Gazprombank.
He and his wife and daughter were staying in a rented luxury villa in Lloret de Mar, a coastal Catalan town, for the Easter period, according to Telecinco.
Police were alerted to the deaths when Protosenya's son, who was in France, raised the alarm after nobody picked up the phone, Telecinco reported.
The Mossos D'Esquadra, the Catalan police force, confirmed on Tuesday it is investigating three deaths, again without naming the victims. A spokesman for the force referred Insider to the public statement when asked for further information on Protosenya's death.
Mossos D'Esquadra did not assign a motive, but according to El Punta Vui, a working theory for investigators is also that Protosenya killed his family before hanging himself.
Protosenya left no suicide note, and there were no bloodstains on his body, El Punta Vui reported, without citing sources.
He had a personal fortune of more than $433 million, according to Telecinco.
Neither of the men were on an international sanctions list in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Yeah, totally murder-suicide and not someone sending a message.
"If you are ever asking yourself 'Is Trump lying or is he stupid?', the answer is most likely C: All of the Above" - Seth Meyers
US reckons the Ukrainians now have tank parity (if not more tanks) than the Russians on the battlefield.
https://www.reuters.com/world/ethiop...ne-2022-04-21/
Huh, so Russia is trying to lure Ethiopians to join the fight on their side with some money. No evidence any have actually made the trip to fight, but I guess this is where the mighty Russia is - recruiting poor folks from Africa to fight their war for them with alleged promises of money that will likely never come.
- - - Updated - - -
Why not? It sends a very clear message to any oligarchs that may think about doing anything but backing Russia fully in this war. It's one thing to worry about yourself and not care if you die for your principles (though I doubt any of these oligarchs would, lol), it's another when you bring their families into it.
Because we've seen Russia be so restrained and reasonable so far : |
But he can't do an actual starvation siege, since the forces in Mariupol are still going out to conduct attacks every day, taking out vehicles and soldiers. Which means that they don't have as tight a grip on the facility as they claim. According to Oleksiy Arestovych an advisor and spokesperson for the Ukrainian government, who's proven himself to have a very good understanding of the conflict, Russia's change of tactic is the first sign of a possible Ukrainian victory in Mariupol, with less reinforcement for the Russians forces, they have greater freedom to conduct strikes and inflict more damage then they're currently able to.
- - - Updated - - -
Those guys can't get too Ukraine on their own, so I supposed they need to get a large enough group first before they can load them on a plane and send them off.
I think that's a fever dream. Mariupol is around 100km behind Russian lines. So even if the Russian control of those lines is porous as fuck, there's no chance the Ukrainians can to any extent resupply their forces in Mariupol.
The odd guy or unit might slip through the Russian lines, but that's not the same as being able to drive trucks into the city with food, fuel and munitions.
- - - Updated - - -
Fuck if I know why, but my brain still refuses to compute anyone ordering the murder of children.
I mean, he can try. Even with unskilled Russian conscripts and their scrap-metal vehicles, going out for a sandwich run isn't going to be trivial. Maybe Putin can't 100% wall them in, but he's still better off with a siege than sending his provably inept troops into a killbox.