(NewsNation) – Investigators in Russia are investigating the death of Vladimir Shklyarov, a principal dancer with the world-famous Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg, after he fell from the balcony of an apartment building and died at the age of 39.
Police say initial information suggests his fall, discovered early Saturday morning, was the result of an accident, state media reported.
Some Kremlin critics insisted that what they said was a condemnation of the war in Ukraine, made by Shklyarov in 2022 and posted on Facebook by someone else. However, Shklyarov’s own social media feed currently contains no such message. A Reuters analysis could not verify the authenticity of the message in his name.
The prolific Mexican cartel leader is said to have faked his own death to live a “life of luxury.”
Bill Browder – an investment adviser to the Hermitage Fund, which was previously the largest foreign portfolio investor in Russia – said critics of the Kremlin have an unfortunate history of fatal falls.
“If you were dealing with someone in Russia who is against Putin, and he died suddenly and by falling out of a window, you would look at all the circumstances and assume foul play until you rule it out,” Browder told NewsNation. “And you know, when you said they were waiting for an investigation, well, who’s going to conduct that investigation? But if he was indeed murdered, then the people who killed him would (lead the investigation).”
Browder said he has dealt with similar threats firsthand.
“I know all about it because many of the people close to me were murdered by the Putin regime,” he said. ‘They threatened me with death. And so this is a murderous mafia state that kills anyone who gets in their way.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
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