Russia : Vladimir Nekrasov Lukoil Chairman Dies Suddenly Aged 66

Vladimir Nekrasov Lukoil chairman of Russia’s second-largest oil producer died suddenly at the age of 66 after suffering acute heart failure, the company said on Tuesday.
Lukoil said Nekrasov had worked for almost 50 years in the oil and gas sector. He had also worked as Lukoil’s First Vice-President and an adviser to the company’s president.

“It is with deep regret that we announce the sudden passing of Vladimir Ivanovich Nekrasov,” the company said in a statement posted to its website. “According to the preliminary conclusion of doctors, death occurred as a result of acute heart failure.”

Vladimir Nekrasov Lukoil’s Statement

October 24, 2023It is with deep regret that we announce the sudden passing of Vladimir Ivanovich Nekrasov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PJSC LUKOIL. According to the preliminary conclusion of doctors, death occurred as a result of acute heart failure.Vladimir Ivanovich devoted almost 50 years to work in the oil and gas industry, having worked his way up from a repairman to the General Director of the key production company LUKOIL-Western Siberia of the LUKOIL Group, after which he worked as the First Vice President of the Company, Advisor to the President of the Company, Chairman Board of Directors, always demonstrating outstanding management abilities and ideas for production development.

Vladimir Nekrasov’s career path was inextricably linked with the North, where he went to work immediately after graduating from the Tyumen Industrial Institute.Vladimir Nekrasov has a number of successfully implemented ideas in the field of field development, which were developed throughout the oil industry and became the basis for his recognition in the scientific community – in 2000 he was awarded the academic degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences.For his services, Vladimir Ivanovich was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree, the Order of Honor, and other state, departmental and public awards.The LUKOIL team expresses sincere condolences to the family and friends of Vladimir Ivanovich.

Vladimir Nekrasov is third to die at LUKoil that criticised Putin’s war

Vladimir Nekrasov Lukoil had replaced the previous head of Lukoil’s board Ravil Maganov in September last year (2022) , after he died falling from a hospital window in Moscow.

Alexander Subbotin, 43, a former top manager at Lukoil, was also found dead in May after allegedly consuming toad poison while visiting a shaman.

Many Russian Oligarchs have died mysteriously since the start of Ukraine War.

Lukoil, which produces more than 2% of the world’s crude oil and employs more than 100,000 people, made headlines in March 2022 when it became one of only a few Russian companies to take a public stand on Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Lukoil took a public stand over Moscow’s operation in Ukraine.

In a statement to shareholders, customers and staff, Lukoil’s board of directors called “for the soonest termination of the armed conflict” in Ukraine.

“We express our sincere empathy for all victims, who are affected by this tragedy,” it said. “We strongly support a lasting ceasefire and a settlement of problems through serious negotiations and diplomacy.”

At least eight Russian businesspeople have perished in what appear to be suicides or accidents in the past six months.

Since late January, there have apparently been at least eight prominent Russian businesspeople who have either committed suicide or died in mysterious circumstances. Six people involved in these occurrences had ties to the two biggest energy businesses in Russia.

These six people included four who had connections to Gazprom, the state-owned energy colossus, or one of its affiliates. The other two were connected to Lukoil, which is Russia’s biggest privately held oil and gas corporation.

The business publicly opposed Russia’s war in Ukraine earlier this year, adopting a rare stance. They demanded pity for the war’s casualties and an end to hostilities.

According to the Russian state news agency TASS, Lukoil Chairman Ravil Maganov sadly perished last week after falling from a Moscow hospital window. On Thursday, a statement on Lukoil’s website acknowledged this tragic occurrence.

Maganov “passed away following a severe illness,” Lukoil said, making no mention of a fall. “Maganov immensely contributed to the development of not only the company, but of the entire Russian oil and gas sector.”

In May, another high-ranking Lukoil executive, Alexander Subbotin, was discovered deceased in the vicinity of Moscow, following an alleged visit to a shaman, according to TASS. Russia’s State News Agency cited an official who stated that the authorities were summoned to attend to an unconscious individual experiencing a heart failure. TASS noted that the police subsequently initiated a criminal inquiry into the incident.

Links with Gazprom

In the initial reported fatality of the year, a high-ranking official from Gazprom was discovered deceased in his residence in the town of Leninsky near Leningrad on January 30, 2022, as per Russian state media source RIA Novosti.

According to RIA’s account, a suicide note was located at the location, and authorities were in the process of probing the incident as a case of suicide. The individual has been identified as Leonid Shulman by Russian national television channel RenTv, who served as the head of the transport division at Gazprom Invest.

Merely a month later, yet another high-ranking official from Gazprom met a tragic fate in the very same village. On February 25, Alexander Tyulakov was found lifeless in his garage, as reported by the independent Russian newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, which indicated that his demise was a result of suicide.

Despite making attempts to contact Gazprom, CNN has not received a response from the company.

CNN has also reached out to Russia’s Investigative Committee for their input on these two incidents, but as of now, they have not provided any comments.

In April, two additional Russian business figures connected to Gazprom experienced fatal events involving murder-suicide.

According to TASS, Vladislav Avayev, the former vice-president of Gazprombank, along with his wife and daughter, was discovered dead in his Moscow residence on April 18.

Citing a source in law enforcement, TASS reported that authorities were looking into the deaths of the Avayevs as a potential murder-suicide.

Yulia Ivanova, a representative from the Investigative Committee for Moscow, was quoted by TASS as saying that a relative found the Avayevs’ bodies after the family driver and nanny couldn’t reach them by phone and couldn’t enter the apartment, which had its door locked from the inside.

Igor Volobuev, a former VP of Gazprombank who had recently left Russia for Ukraine, shared his doubt with CNN, stating that he didn’t believe Avayev had taken his own life.

“Avayev’s role involved managing private banking and dealing with VIP clients, handling substantial amounts of money. So, did he commit suicide? I don’t think so. I believe he had knowledge of something and posed a certain risk,” Volobuev conveyed to CNN in April.

Son questions initial findings

Despite reaching out to Russia’s Investigative Committee, CNN received no response regarding this case.

Just a day later, on April 19, Sergey Protosenya, a former executive at Novatek, a gas producer partially owned by Gazprom, was discovered deceased at his residence in Lloret de Mar, a Mediterranean resort near Barcelona.

His wife and daughter, who displayed signs of violence, were found within the family’s luxurious home, according to an official source close to the investigation, while Protosenya’s body was located in the garden outside.

Protosenya’s son questioned the initial findings when speaking to the Daily Mail in April and suggested that his father might have been murdered.

Catalan police from the Girona province, where Lloret de Mar is situated, completed their investigation into the case and concluded that it was a double murder followed by suicide.

However, Protosenya’s son challenged this version of events in April, asserting that his father had been murdered. The police’s press official at that time stated, “The Catalan police have taken statements from the son. Other hypotheses have been ruled out. Also ruled out was a triple homicide. That this was the work of the Russian mafia? Well, no.”

Novatek, Protosenya’s former employer, expressed their belief that he was “a wonderful person and a wonderful family man” and stated that the media speculations were unrelated to reality. They hoped that Spanish law enforcement agencies would conduct a thorough and objective investigation.

Mikhail Watford, a Ukrainian-born Russian oil and gas billionaire, was found deceased in his Surrey, England home on February 28. Surrey Police indicated that they did not suspect any foul play.

Vasily Melnikov, another Russian businessman, was discovered deceased with his family in Nizhny Novgorod in late March, according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant. Melnikov owned MedStom, a medical supplies company. The Investigative Committee of Russia reported that a 43-year-old man, his 41-year-old wife, and two children aged four and 10 were found stabbed to death on March 23.

The investigative committee did not identify Melnikov, but the ages of the deceased and the location matched the Kommersant report. The regional branch of the investigative committee did not update the status of its investigation and did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. At the time of the incident in March, they mentioned, “There were no signs of unauthorized entry into the apartment,” and “knives were found and seized.” The committee stated that they were considering various scenarios, including the possibility of the family head murdering his wife and children before taking his own life.