What's unusual after 9 Russian diplomats died suddenly in 9 months?

In just nine months, Russia has witnessed a series of deaths of nine high-ranking officials, including many diplomats living abroad.

Six Russian diplomats have died while on duty abroad since the Russian ambassador to Sudan died of a heart attack while swimming at his home in the capital, Khartoum. In some cases, the cause of death was determined to be natural, and the authorities in the host countries have denied any foul play.

However, in the remaining cases, doubts still exist. It is also possible that those cases are still under investigation, or that as time passes, the truth changes, and new details are difficult to emerge.

Some conspiracy theorists and self-proclaimed “detectives” online have suspected that the deaths of these ambassadors are related to the suspicion of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the two incidents are related.

Russian Ambassador to Sudan dies in private swimming pool

On August 23, the Russian Ambassador to Sudan was found dead, his body floating in a swimming pool at his home in the capital Khartoum.

According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the cause of death of Ambassador Mirgayas Shirinskiy (63 years old) was heart disease.

Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Russian Embassy in Sudan, Mr. Sergei Konyashin, said that the staff called an ambulance but the doctors were unable to save the Ambassador. Mr. Shirinskiy was appointed to the position of Russian Ambassador to Sudan since 2013.

Russia 24 TV channel reported that Sudanese police have also ruled out the possibility of an assassination plot.

Russian politician who fled to Ukraine shot dead

Denis Voronenkov (45 years old) was shot dead on August 24 outside a hotel in Kiev. Voronenkov and his wife were opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin after they left Russia for Ukraine in October 2016.

Ukraine's president has called Voronenkov's shooting an "act of Russian terrorism", but Russian authorities have denied the accusation.

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations dies suddenly

The most notable of these cases was former Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin, who died of a sudden heart attack in February in New York. The US State Department asked the New York Medical Examiner not to release the results of his autopsy.

Russian Ambassador to India dies after short illness

Mr. Alexander Kadakin (67 years old), Russian Ambassador to India, died on January 26. According to the spokesman of the Russian Embassy in New Delhi, Mr. Kadakin died after a short illness and there was nothing “special or unusual” about the cause of death.

Mr. Kadakin has worked in India since 2009, and has consistently received praise from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his work in strengthening ties between the two countries.

Russian ambassador to Greece found dead in his bedroom

Andrey Malanin, a senior diplomat working for the Russian Embassy in Greece, died in early January. Police sources told CCN that his colleagues became worried when they saw that Malanin had not shown up for work for several days and called the police. Security forces arrived at his home and found him dead on the floor of his bedroom.

According to the initial report of Greek police, Malanin died suddenly of natural causes. Two police officials of this country also denied conspiracy. Currently, the investigation is still ongoing.

Former intelligence official found dead in car

Oleg Erovinkin, a man with close ties to Russian intelligence, was found dead in his car on the streets of Moscow on December 26, 2016. Russian media reported that the 61-year-old man was a former general of the Russian intelligence agency (FSB). Russian government agencies have yet to officially announce the cause of his death.

Conspiracy theorists and Russia watchers suspect he may have been the source of information in a 35-page dossier alleging ties between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia. However, again, there is no evidence to support those claims.

Diplomat shot dead in the back

Russian Ambassador to Türkiye Andrey Karlov (63) was killed in Ankara on 20 December 2016. He was shot dead by a gunman while giving a speech at an art exhibition. The gunman, a former Turkish police officer, shouted “don’t forget Syria” during the attack.

Russian diplomat shot dead in bedroom in Moscow

Coincidentally, on the same day that the Russian Ambassador to Türkiye was shot, Petr Polshikov (56 years old) – a senior Russian diplomat – was shot dead at his home in Moscow. According to the Moskovskij Komsomolets newspaper, Polshikov’s wife found him dead in bed with a pillow over his head. After removing the pillow, police found a wound on Polshikov’s head.

A spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said Polshikov's death was likely an accident and not related to his work for the government.

Russian official in New York dies on Election Day

On the morning of November 8, when all Americans went to the polls, just 1 hour after polling places opened in New York City, the police received a call reporting an unconscious man in the Russian Consulate.

When police arrived, they found Sergei Krivov unresponsive and dead at the scene.

Russian consulate officials initially said Mr Krivov fell from the roof, but later said he had suffered a relapse of heart problems.

According to the initial police report, Mr. Krivov had “an unexplained head injury.”

However, after an autopsy and investigation concluded, the New York City Medical Examiner-Coroner said Mr. Krivov died of a chest hemorrhage, possibly caused by a malignant tumor. Police have also ruled out foul play.

According to News