A former publisher of Pravda, once the Soviet Union's most powerful newspaper, has died under mysterious circumstances, adding to a growing list of suspicious deaths among prominent Russians. Vyacheslav Leontyev was found dead in Moscow, apparently after falling from his fifth-floor apartment window, per the London Times. Russian authorities say the 87-year-old may have experienced a "nervous breakdown" before the incident, which they suspect was a suicide. Without saying where it got the information, a Russian tabloid reported Leontyev may have been experiencing heart problems but declined his daughter's offer to call an ambulance.
Leontyev led Pravda, once the Communist Party's main propaganda outlet, from 1984 and remained involved as it transitioned through multiple restructurings after the Soviet Union fell. An exiled journalist who knew him says he "knew a lot" about the finances of the Communist Party, which remains Russia's second-largest political party, though some believe it acts only as a pseudo-opposition party, co-opted by those in power.
Leontyev's death draws attention to a broader pattern. Since 2022, about two dozen high-profile Russians—including state officials and business leaders—have died under suspicious circumstances. Recent cases include a transport minister found dead after his dismissal and allegations of embezzlement, a former customs official who died following a courtroom escape, and a business manager whose body was discovered in a grim scene under a bridge. Many of these deaths are officially termed suicides, though explanations are often incomplete or lacking in detail. Several of the deaths have involved falls from windows or balconies, per Newsweek.
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