According to a source cited by the Interfax news agency on Thursday, Ravil Maganov, chair of the board of directors of Lukoil, the largest private oil business in Russia, ‘fell from a window at Central clinical hospital. He died as a result of his wounds.’

However, Lukoil only said that Maganov ‘died following a severe illness’. The company did not disclose what Maganov was being treated for. It is not clear whether his death was a result of a suicide attempt, an accident, or if foul play may have been involved. According to unnamed sources cited by Russian official media, Maganov was taken to the hospital with a cardiac ailment and was taking antidepressants.

The police-affiliated Russian news outlet Baza speculated that he might have fallen from a balcony while smoking. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, six businessmen with ties to the Russian energy sector have passed away in apparent suicides or under unexplained circumstances. None of the fatalities have been labelled as homicides. Maganov’s passing has drawn attention since, unusually among Russian energy firms, Lukoil officially criticised the invasion of Ukraine barely one week after Vladimir Putin proclaimed the start of Moscow’s special military operation

In a statement, the board of directors of Lukoil had declared: ‘Calling for the quickest end to the armed conflict, we express our profound condolences for all victims who are affected by this tragedy. We firmly believe that problems should be resolved via serious negotiations and diplomacy.’ Maganov, often described as an oligarch, was a well-known representative of Russian commercial society. He was good friends with Vagit Alekperov, a founding member of Lukoil and a former Soviet oil minister who resigned as CEO immediately after the UK and EU slapped sanctions on him. Prior to being appointed chair of the company’s board of directors in 2020, Maganov had worked for Lukoil since 1993, managing the departments responsible for exploration and refining.