In a series of unexplained events that have rattled the Russian oil industry, Lukoil, one of the country's oil behemoths, has reported the sudden death of another top executive, marking the fourth such incident in a brief span.
The latest to join the unsettling trend is Deputy Director Vitaliy Robertus, who, at the age of 54, has unexpectedly passed away, according to a brief statement from Lukoil. The company did not disclose the cause of death for Robertus, who had dedicated over three decades of his career to Lukoil.
Robertus's death follows a string of fatalities among the oil giant's top brass over the last two years. Notably, in October 2023, the company mourned the loss of its board chairman, Vladimir Nekrasov, who died at 66 due to what was described as "acute heart failure."
Furthermore, in May 2022, former Lukoil executive Aleksandr Subbotin was found dead in a basement in Mytishchi, outside Moscow, with heart failure again cited as the cause. Adding to the series of tragic events, Ravil Maganov, the then-board chairman, died in September 2022 after falling from a hospital window in Moscow.
In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, Lukoil stood out as one of the few Russian firms to openly oppose the military action. The company's board issued a public letter to shareholders, clients, and employees, advocating for "the quickest possible end to the armed conflict" in Ukraine. "We strongly support a lasting ceasefire and the resolution of problems through serious negotiations and diplomacy," the letter stated.
Since the onset of the invasion, there has been a notable spate of sudden and somewhat mysterious deaths among Russian oligarchs, further deepening the intrigue surrounding the recent fatalities within Lukoil's ranks.
