A glamorous vice president of a Russian bank has died after plummeting from a window of her apartment in Moscow. Kristina Baikova, 28, an executive at Loko Bank, is the latest person among Russia’s prominent business figures to have mysteriously died. Baikova, reportedly, fell from the 11th floor of her apartment on Khodynsky Boulevard in Moscow.
She died instantly at the scene. The incident happened last Friday. An investigation into her death has been launched. Over the past year, particularly, since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, several prominent Russian figures, including some Putin allies, have reportedly died in a similar manner by falling from the windows of their apartments.
Suspicious Death
According to reports, Baikova, the vice president of Loko Bank, had invited a 34-year-old friend, believed to be named Andrei, to her home for drinks when the tragic incident occurred.
He claims that Baikova contacted him and asked him to come for a drink before she “went out onto the parapet and fell down”, BAZA reports.
A series of mysterious deaths of high-ranking energy officials have taken place since the beginning of Vladimir Putin’s military involvement in Ukraine in February of last year.
In May this year, Russia’s deputy science minister, Pyotr Kucherenko, who was reportedly a private critic of the ‘fascist’ invasion of Ukraine, died unexpectedly after falling severely ill during a flight to Moscow.
The incident occurred as Kucherenko was returning from a business trip to Cuba, and his plane had to make an emergency landing in southern Russia, according to the Science and Higher Education Ministry.
Doctors were unable to save the official’s life despite performing CPR. Kucherenko’s family said that his death was connected to a pre-existing heart condition.
Following the announcement, independent journalist Roman Super wrote that his “old friend” had confided in private conversations about his difficulties in leaving Russia after what he referred to as the “fascist invasion” of Ukraine.
In April, Igor Shkurko, a prominent energy executive and deputy general director of Russian energy company Yakutskenergo, was found dead in his prison cell under mysterious circumstances.
Shkurko had been accused of accepting a bribe. The 49-year-old, who was also a member of the pro-Putin United Russia political party, had his membership suspended when the bribery allegation emerged.
Just two months prior to that incident, Viatcheslav Rovneiko, 59, a prominent Russian oil magnate, was found “unconscious” late at night in his home. According to a report by Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper, doctors were unable to revive him, resulting in his tragic death.
Not a Coincidence
The list doesn’t end there. In February, a high-ranking Russian defense official, Marina Yankina, 58, was found dead after falling approximately 160ft from a tower block window. Yankina held a key position as the head of the financial support department of the Ministry of Defense for the Western Military District, which played a significant role in funding Vladimir Putin’s unauthorized military intervention in Ukraine.
Prior to her involvement in the Western Military District, Yankina had worked in the Federal Tax Service and held the position of deputy chairman of the Property Relations Committee in St Petersburg.
Although initial reports suggest it may have been a suicide, it is common for such statements to be made in Russia before a thorough investigation is conducted or all the facts are known.
A week prior to the incident, Major General Vladimir Makarov, a Russian general who had recently been dismissed by Putin, was found dead in what appeared to be a possible suicide.
Moreover, on December 26, Pavel Antonov, the wealthiest deputy in the Russian Duma and a critic of Putin, tragically died in India after falling from a hotel window.
Vladimir Bidenov, who was accompanying Pavel Antonov, was also found dead in the same hotel four days back.
Moreover, Aleksey Maslov, the former chief of Russian Ground Forces, died in a hospital on December 25.
Similarly, Aleksandr Buzakov, who had served as the head of Russia‘s “admiralty shipyards” for 10 years, died on December 24, 2022.
