THE husband of Putin’s “Iron Doll” propagandist has become the fourth leading Russian figure to die in the space of just two days.
Tigran Keosayan, who was himself a well known media figure, passed away after spending eight months in a coma.
GettyRussian film director Tigran Keosayan and his wife Margarita Simonyan[/caption]
Margarita Simonyan is the editor-in-chief of pro-Putin channel Russia TodayRex Features
GettyTigran is just one of several high-profile Russians to have met their ends over the past 48 hours[/caption]
The Putin-cheerleader had long been suffering from a heart problems before his death.
His wife Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the state-controlled broadcaster RT, announced the news of his passing today.
She wrote on social media: “Tonight, Tigran went to the Creator. Thank you to everyone who prayed.
“Please do not call me or the family now. Thank you all, thank you.”
Tigran had slipped into a coma back in January because of his heart issues.
He is reportedly to have briefly experienced clinical death during this health emergency.
Margarita has dealt with her own share of health conditions, having recently been reported to have received a serious diagnosis.
While she did not declare any specifics, a source told The Moscow Times that she has cancer.
But Tigran is just one of several high-profile Russians to have met their ends over the past 48 hours.
One rich pro-Putin politician was found hanging from a tree with his hands bound.
Construction company boss Vitaly Kapustin was found swinging 20ft up from a tree branch.
Witnesses have voiced strong doubts that he had taken his own life.
One said: “I saw how high up he was. His hands seemed to be tied behind his back.
“A person wouldn’t just climb up there easily, the trees are very tall.”
Vitaly Kapustin was found hanged high in a tree with his hands boundEast2West
East2WestTransport boss Alexander Fedotov was found dead at a five star hotel in Moscow[/caption]
East2WestBoris Avakyan was found dead in the Armenian consulate in St Petersburg[/caption]
Transport boss Alexander Fedotov, 49, was also found dead at a hotel in Moscow.
His body was found outside the five-star Skypoint Luxe hotel at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo international airport.
No suicide note was found, and a criminal investigation is underway into his death
Fedotov had abruptly quit as transport chief for St Petersburg last year.
And multi-millionaire ex-customs chief Boris Avakyan was found in a toilet after fleeing a court case.
His body was found with “slit wrists” inside the Armenian consulate in St Petersburg.
Avakyan had escaped a Russian courtroom by sneaking outside for a cigarette before getting into a car.
He had been seeking extradition to Armenia, where he held dual citizenship, at time of his death.
There have been widely reported claims that some previous “suicides” in fact have been contract killings.
APThere have been widely reported claims that some previous ‘suicides’ in fact have been contract killings[/caption]