A Russian energy executive died last week after he fell off his boat, joining at least eight other Russian business leaders and tycoons, including the energy executive’s former boss, who have mysteriously died in the past nine months.
The death of Ivan Pechorin, the managing director of the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (ERDC) and a point man for Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of the Arctic, was confirmed by his company.
“On September 12, 2022, it became known about the tragic death of our colleague, Ivan Pechorin,” the ERDC said in a statement on its website. “Ivan’s death is an irreparable loss for friends and colleagues, a great loss for the corporation. We offer our sincere condolences to family and friends.”
Pechorin reportedly died on Sept. 10 after he fell from his boat in the waters off Russky Island near Cape Ignatiev in the Sea of Japan, according to Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Pechorin died near the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, where the Russian executive had attended a major economic conference last week with Putin known as the Eastern Economic Forum.
The death of Pechorin, 39, comes after his former boss, Igor Nosov, died from a sudden stroke at the age of 43 in February. The ERDC is responsible for the development of the Arctic, a large source of oil and gas that Russia has prioritized.
In the past nine months, a string of Russian energy executives have died, including Ravil Maganov, the chairman of the board of Lukoil, Russia’s largest oil company, who fell out of a window at a hospital he was being treated at.
Russian executives from state-owned energy company Gazprom and natural gas firm Novatek have also died.