35-year-old Ivan Sechin, the successor to the affluent Igor Sechin, head of the prominent oil corporation Rosneft and a trusted ally of Putin, passed away after difficulty in breathing. His demise occurred in an upscale community near Moscow. The circumstances surrounding his death remained shrouded in mystery for two weeks before being disclosed earlier this week, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Ivan’s passing adds to the string of enigmatic deaths involving individuals linked to Russia’s energy industry, a trend that has emerged since the onset of Putin’s conflict in Ukraine.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, Ivan’s cause of death was attributed to a “detached blood clot,” mirroring the explanation provided for the demise of Putin critic Alexei Navalny. His passing coincides with speculation surrounding potential significant personnel shifts following Putin’s anticipated sixth presidential term, expected after next month’s elections.
Ivan Sechin passed away at the Europe-1 village in Krasnogorsk, within a residence often visited by Vladimir Putin’s close associates. According to a report from the Russian Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, around 4:30 a.m. on the night of February 5, the 35-year-old Ivan expressed discomfort, citing feelings of suffocation. Subsequently, he collapsed onto the bed and lost consciousness.
“Those present immediately moved Ivan Sechin to the floor and attempted initial resuscitation procedures. Simultaneously, Ivan Sechin’s security detail contacted emergency services. Upon their arrival, paramedics could only confirm Ivan’s passing,” stated the Telegram channel. Ivan was laid to rest three days after his demise.
He held executive positions in offshore projects and often accompanied his father, Igor, on international excursions. Ivan was an alumnus of Moscow State University and had previously served as an analyst at Gazprombank before joining Rosneft alongside his father.
According to The Daily Mail’s report, Ivan Sechin, previously referred to as Putin’s de-facto deputy, reportedly obstructed Russian authorities, including the FSB and other security agencies, from investigating his son’s death.
Allegedly, he tasked the Rosneft Security Service, composed of former FSB and Investigative Committee members loyal to him, with probing the circumstances surrounding his son’s passing. Ivan, who received the Order for Service to the Fatherland from Putin at the age of 26, held significant influence within the Russian power structure.
Ivan Sechin : Mysterious Death
In a post on Facebook, Nevzlin, the one-time head of the Yukos oil giant, described the news as a “strange coincidence.”
“Today, when we recalled with my friends and partners why the Kremlin war against Yukos began…it was today that I learned that Igor Sechin had just lost his son Ivan Sechin. The very same man who fabricated every blatant and bloody case against us. And still,” he wrote, sharing a screen grab of the entry.
“Probably hard to believe but my heart goes out to a father who lost his child. How I sympathize with Alexei Navalny’s mother. How I sympathized in recent years to Bory Nemtsov’s mother, who left us this month,” Nevzlin added. “My condolences to Sechin’s family, who are forced to hide their grief.”
The VChK-OGPU outlet, which purports to have inside information from Russian security forces, also reported on Sechin’s death. Citing an unnamed source, it said that at approximately 4.30 a.m. on February 5, Ivan Sechin “complained that he felt bad and was suffocating.”
“The man fell on the bed and lost consciousness. Those around him carried Ivan to the floor and tried to provide primary resuscitation measures,” the Telegram channel said, adding that an ambulance drove for two hours trying to find him.
“When the ambulance arrived at the scene, the doctors were only able to ascertain Ivan’s death,” VChK-OGPU said, later adding that the cause of death was a “detatched blood clot.”
