Top Russian war official dies after falling from a 160-foot building.
A high-ranking Russian defence official, Marina Yankina, died after falling from a window of a building in St Petersburg. Yankina used to head the financial support department of the Russian Ministry of Defence for the Eastern Military District.
Yankina served in the Federal Tax Service and also worked as the Deputy Chairman of the Property Relations Committee of St. Petersburg, prior to joining the Western Military region. She is believed to have been at the centre of efforts to strengthen funding for the war started by Russia on February 24.
Following the death of Yankina after falling from 160 feet, the Russian Investigative Committee and the press service of the Western Military District ‘Fontanka‘ have begun a probe regarding her mysterious fall. The preliminary enquiry report declared the death as suicide. No official motive has been released, but media outlet ‘Mash on Moika’ reported that the 58-year-old was said to have been struggling with health problems.
Bystanders found her body outside the apartment building on Zamshina Street in St. Petersburg. She was 58 at the time of her death. Yakina fell 160 feet to her death and some personal belongings and documents were found on a balcony in the building.
As per reports, she was a key figure in the funding of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine and was close to President Vladimir Putin.
As per the media outlet ‘Mash on Moika’ Yanika called her ex-husband and told him about what she was going to do and where she would leave things – and also asked to call the police. A few minutes after the call, she was found dead.
Yakina joined the list of prominent Russian military officials and business people who have mysteriously died after Russia declared war on Ukraine.
A few days before Yakina, Major General Vladimir Makarov – recently fired by Russian President Vladimir Putin – was found dead in a suspected suicide, as per the news report.
Also, on 26 December, the deputy of the Russian Duma – Pavel Antonov – who criticised the Russian invasion of Ukraine, died in India after falling out of a hotel window, as per the news report.
According to a Daily Mail report, the former chief of Russian Ground Forces Aleksey Maslov died in hospital on December 25 while Aleksandr Buzakov who served as the head of Russia’s ‘admiralty shipyards’ for a decade died on December 24.
The list also includes names of the Russian business tycoons who faced the fate of death after their criticism or opposition to Vladimir Putin’s adventure of war on Ukraine.
On December 09, 2022, Dmitry Zelenov, a Russian Real estate tycoon died whilst dining with friends in the French town of Antibes, located on the French Rivera in the southeast of the country. Zelenov’s death is believed to be remarkably similar to that of Anatoly Gerashchenko, the former head of Moscow’s Aviation Institute, who also died after allegedly falling down a flight of stairs.
Gerashchenko’s death came two weeks after the demise of Ivan Pechorin, who was responsible for developing Russia’s resources in the Arctic. He reportedly fell overboard whilst sailing in the Pacific Ocean.
Some of the men who have died have been noted critics of Putin’s war in Ukraine – including Ravil Maganov, the chairman of the oil company Lukoil, who fell to his death from a Moscow hospital in early September.
However, the authorities have repeatedly claimed these deaths to be accidents or suicides.
