Two Russian officials connected to the ruling United Russia party have died on the same day, according to local media sources.
Nikolay Bortsov, a 77-year-old affluent pro-Putin MP and one of Russia's richest government employees, passed away at his Lebedyan residence on Sunday. Bortsov's cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
State Duma Deputy Dzhasharbek Uzdenov also died on the same day after battling a "serious and prolonged illness," as reported by Newsweek.
Vladimir Vasilyev, the head of the United Russia faction, released a statement saying, "A hard day. Death snatched another comrade from our ranks. Jasharbek (Dzhasharbek) Borisovich Uzdenov, a deputy of the State Duma, the former Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, died after a severe and prolonged illness."
Both Bortsov and Uzdenov had been sanctioned by countries such as the UK, US, and New Zealand for their support of Russia's war in Ukraine. In 2019, Bortsov faced criticism following media reports alleging that he had secretly obtained the right to live in Britain. He later refuted these claims as false.
These concurrent deaths add to a series of similar incidents in Russia since the country invaded Ukraine in February last year. Numerous prominent Russians have died under mysterious circumstances over the past year, with many of these deaths ruled as accidents, such as falling out of windows or down stairs.
In a comparable event in December 2022, a former Russian army chief with Ukrainian ties died "suddenly" at 69, just one day after President Putin unexpectedly canceled a trip to the general's workplace in the Nizhny Tagil region.
The general worked at Uralvagonzavod, the world's largest tank manufacturing company. Local media reported that Putin called off his visit to the plant on December 25 without providing any explanation.
Officials from Uralvagonzavod praised the general as a "distinguished commander who made a valiant journey from a platoon commander to the commander-in-chief of the ground forces," but did not disclose the cause of his death. His passing occurred shortly after the "sudden death" of a senior navy official responsible for submarine construction.
In the same month, Russian businessman and lawmaker Pavel Antov was found dead in a hotel in the Indian state of Odisha after falling from the third floor. His death occurred just two days after Vladimir Budanov, his fellow traveler, died at the same hotel. Investigations into their deaths are ongoing.
Antov, a staunch critic of Putin's war in Ukraine, had initially condemned Russian attacks on Ukraine but later retracted his statement. Despite this, he maintained that he "always supported the president" and "sincerely" backed Putin's "special military operation" in Ukraine.
A third Russian citizen, 51-year-old engineer Milyakov Sergy, was found dead in the Indian state of Odisha just weeks after Antov's death. Sergy was discovered dead on a cargo ship docked at Paradip Port in Jagatsinghpur district. Police suspect that he may have died of a heart attack after "suddenly collapsing onboard the ship."
