Pavlo Antov, the founder of one of Russia’s largest sausage manufacturers and a member of parliament who criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, died after falling from a luxury hotel window in India, Meduza and The Telegraph reported. Also, two days before, one of the companions of the Russian oligarch, a 61-year-old businessman, was found dead in the same hotel. It is the latest in a series of strange deaths, some of which appear to be suicides, of influential executives or businessmen in Russia, many of which have been recorded since the war in Ukraine began.

Pavlo Antov was a member of Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party and a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Vladimir region, who wrote on his website that the politician died at the age of 65, Meduza reports. The TASS source reported that the deputy died while on vacation in India.

On December 25, the Indian TV channel NDTV reported the death of 65-year-old Russian Pavel Antov. According to NDTV, he fell from the window of a hotel in the state of Odisha, where he was vacationing with a company of four people.

An Indian police officer told NDTV that it could have been a suicide.

Two days before his death, one of his companions, identified by NDTV as Volodymyr Bidenov, was found dead in the same hotel, the officer said. According to sources, it is about a 61-year-old businessman, Antov’s friend.

The Consul General of Russia in Calcutta, Oleksiy Idamkin, told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti that neither the Indian police nor Russian representatives in India see anything suspicious in the deaths of the two. Moreover, according to him, the investigation into the case of the first victim has already been completed, and his body has been cremated.

Who was Pavlo Antonov?

Pavlo Antov is the founder of the large Russian producer of meat and sausages “Vladimirsky Standard”. In 2018, he was elected a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Volodymyr region from the United Russia party. He headed the commission on agrarian policy, nature management and ecology.

After being elected as a deputy, Antov declared his wealth. Officially, he had a fortune of 9.97 billion rubles and took first place in the ranking of the richest officials in Russia, compiled by Forbes magazine. In the next such top (for 2020), Antov dropped to 26th place.

The Telegraph writes that Pavlo Antov was in India with a group of friends to celebrate his 66th birthday. According to the publication, in July he called Russia’s missile attacks on Kyiv “terrorism.”