Alexander Tyulakov
Gazprom executive found dead in his garage the morning after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Reportedly seen "severely beaten" before his death, which was ruled a suicide. His death was the second in a wave of at least eight Russian energy executives who died under suspicious circumstances in 2022.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Alexander Tyulakov |
| Born | c. 1961 |
| Died | February 25, 2022 |
| Age at Death | 61 |
| Location of Death | Leningrad Oblast, near St. Petersburg, Russia |
| Cause of Death | Hanging (reported as suicide) |
| Official Ruling | Suicide |
| Alleged Intelligence Connection | FSB / Russian state suspected — part of 2022 energy executive death wave |
| Category | Banker / Financier |
Assessment: SUSPICIOUS
Tyulakov was found dead in his garage on February 25, 2022 — the morning after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He was reportedly seen "severely beaten" before his death, which was officially ruled a suicide by hanging. Novaya Gazeta also reported that Gazprom's own security service arrived at the scene and pushed out local investigators — a detail suggesting corporate or state interference with the investigation. The timing, the reported beating, the security service intervention, and the broader pattern of Gazprom-connected executive deaths make the official suicide ruling highly questionable.
Circumstances of Death
On February 25, 2022 — one day after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — Alexander Tyulakov was found dead in the garage of his home in a cottage settlement in the Leningrad Oblast near St. Petersburg. His death was reported as a suicide by hanging.
However, Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia's last independent newspapers, reported two critical details that undermine the suicide ruling. First, Tyulakov had been seen "severely beaten" on the night before his death — a person found beaten and then dead by hanging the next day strongly suggests foul play. Second, Gazprom's internal security service reportedly arrived at the scene and pushed out local law enforcement investigators before they could complete their examination, suggesting an effort to control the narrative and evidence.
His death came just one day after another suspicious death: Mikhail Watford (born Mikhail Tolstosheya), a Ukrainian-born Russian oil and gas trader, was found hanged at his home in Surrey, England on February 28, 2022. The clustering of these deaths around the invasion date is striking.
Background
Tyulakov served as deputy director general for corporate security at Gazprom's Unified Settlement Centre (also described as the Unified Processing Centre). He had ascended to the position of Deputy General Director and later became the Deputy for Corporate Protection and Personnel Management in 2009. His role placed him at the intersection of Gazprom's financial operations and internal security — a position with access to sensitive corporate and potentially state-level financial information.
Gazprom is Russia's largest company and is effectively an instrument of state power, with deep connections to the Kremlin, the FSB, and Russia's political elite. Executives with security and financial oversight roles would have possessed knowledge of corporate dealings, capital flows, sanctions evasion, and potentially the personal financial arrangements of politically connected individuals.
A later investigation by Novaya Gazeta Europe linked Gazprom to a money-laundering scheme and a luxury hotel in Montenegro, documenting the "mysterious death of a top Gazprom manager" as part of broader corruption within the company.
The 2022 Russian Energy Executive Death Wave
Tyulakov's death was not an isolated event. At least eight Russian energy executives died under suspicious circumstances in 2022, forming a pattern unprecedented in its concentration. The full timeline:
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Leonid Shulman (January 30, 2022) — Head of Gazprom Invest's transport service. Found dead in the bathroom of his country house near St. Petersburg with slash wounds to his wrists. Ruled a suicide.
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Alexander Tyulakov (February 25, 2022) — Deputy director general of Gazprom's Unified Settlement Centre. Found hanged in his garage the day after the Ukraine invasion. Reportedly beaten beforehand.
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Vladislav Avaev (April 18, 2022) — Former vice president of Gazprombank. Found shot dead in his Moscow apartment alongside the bodies of his wife and 13-year-old daughter. Ruled a murder-suicide.
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Sergei Protosenya (April 19, 2022) — Former top executive at Novatek (partially owned by Gazprom). Found dead at his villa in Lloret de Mar, Spain, one day after Avaev. His wife and daughter were also found murdered. Spanish authorities initially ruled it a murder-suicide but the family disputed this.
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Alexander Subbotin (May 8, 2022) — Former member of Lukoil's board of directors. Found dead in a house in Mytishchi outside Moscow. Death attributed to acute heart failure, reportedly after visiting a shaman who administered toad venom.
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Yuri Voronov (July 4, 2022) — Founder of Astra-Shipping, a Gazprom transportation subcontractor. Found dead in the pool of his home in the Leningrad region with a gunshot wound to the head. A pistol was found nearby.
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Ivan Pechorin (September 2022) — Managing director of the Corporation for the Development of the Far East and Arctic, connected to Russian energy development. Reportedly fell from a boat.
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Ravil Maganov (September 1, 2022) — Chairman of Lukoil's board of directors. Fell from a sixth-floor window at Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow. Lukoil had publicly called for an end to the war in Ukraine. Ruled a suicide.
Intelligence Connections
- Tyulakov's role in "corporate security" at Gazprom placed him at the nexus of the company's internal security apparatus, which has documented ties to Russia's intelligence services
- Gazprom's corporate security functions are reportedly coordinated with or staffed by former FSB officers
- His death occurred the day after the invasion — a moment of maximum internal tension when the Russian state was reportedly conducting security sweeps of potentially disloyal figures
- Novaya Gazeta Europe connected his death to broader patterns of corruption and suspicious deaths within Gazprom
- The pattern of eight deaths in six months across multiple Russian energy companies suggests coordinated action rather than coincidence
Why This Death Raises Questions
- He was found dead the morning after Russia invaded Ukraine — timing that suggests a connection to pre-invasion or invasion-day security operations
- Novaya Gazeta reported he was seen "severely beaten" before his death — inconsistent with suicide
- Gazprom's security service reportedly arrived at the scene and pushed out local investigators — suggesting interference with the crime scene
- His role in corporate security gave him access to sensitive financial and security information
- He was the second Gazprom executive to die under suspicious circumstances in early 2022, after Leonid Shulman in January
- The pattern continued throughout 2022 with at least six additional energy executive deaths
- CNN documented "at least eight Russian businessmen" who "died in apparent suicide or accidents in just six months"
- Two of the deaths (Avaev and Protosenya) allegedly involved the murder of family members, including children — a pattern some investigators believe was staged to resemble murder-suicides
- Ravil Maganov, chairman of Lukoil — which had publicly criticized the war — died falling from a hospital window in September
Key Quotes
Novaya Gazeta reported that Tyulakov was seen "severely beaten" on the night before he was found dead by hanging — a detail that directly contradicts the suicide ruling.
According to Novaya Gazeta, Gazprom's own security service arrived at the scene and "pushed out local investigators" before they could complete their work.
CNN reported that Tyulakov's death was part of a pattern where "at least eight Russian businessmen have died in apparent suicide or accidents in just six months."
CNBC reported that "Lukoil Chairman Ravil Maganov is the 8th Russian energy executive to die suddenly this year."
See Also
- Leonid Shulman — Gazprom transport chief, found dead January 2022
- Ravil Maganov — Lukoil chairman, fell from hospital window September 2022
- Sergei Protosenya — Former Novatek head, found dead in Spain April 2022
- Alexei Navalny — opposition leader who survived FSB poisoning, later died in Arctic prison
- Boris Nemtsov — opposition leader shot dead near the Kremlin, 2015
Other Shocking Stories
- Alexei Navalny: Survived FSB Novichok poisoning, tricked his assassin into confessing on camera, then died in an Arctic prison.
- Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh: Mossad sent 27 agents with forged passports to suffocate one Hamas commander in a Dubai hotel room.
- Mahmoud Hamshari: Mossad planted a bomb inside his telephone. When he answered, they detonated it remotely in Paris.
- Stanislav Markelov: Human rights lawyer investigating Chechen war crimes shot dead on a Moscow street alongside a journalist.
Sources
- At Least Eight Russian Businessmen Died in Apparent Suicides or Accidents — CNN
- Gazprom: Russia's State Corruption Giant — Novaya Gazeta Europe
- Wave of Mystery Suicides Among Russian Gazprom Executives — Warsaw Institute
- Fourth Gazprom-Linked Executive Reported Dead in Russia — The Moscow Times
- Here Are the Russian Oil Executives Who Have Died in the Past Nine Months — The Hill
- Lukoil Chairman Ravil Maganov is the 8th Russian Energy Executive to Die Suddenly This Year — CNBC
- Deaths of 2 Russian Oligarchs Within 48 Hours Add to Wave — Fortune
- Suspicious Russia-Related Deaths Since 2022 — Wikipedia
- Two Ex-Russian Gas Company Execs Found Dead in Two Days — The Daily Beast
This information was built by Grok and Claude AI research.