Indian police are investigating the sudden death of a wealthy Russian politician who allegedly published a post criticizing the war in Ukraine and his fellow traveler at a luxury hotel in eastern India, an Odisha State Police official said.
The body of Pavel Antov, 65, a member of a regional parliament in Russia, was discovered in a pool of blood outside the hotel where he was vacationing with three other Russians, police said. He apparently fell to his death from the hotel terrace.
Two days earlier, another member of the Russian tour group, Vladimir Bidenov, was found unconscious in the same hotel, apparently suffering from a heart attack and unable to be revived.
fatal fall
Police reviewed all CCTV footage, interviewed hotel staff pending detailed autopsies, but have so far found no clues to suggest a homicide.
“All possible angles regarding the death of the two Russians are being reviewed,” said regional police chief Rajesh Pandit.
The heart attack that killed Vladimir Bidenov was likely caused by alcohol abuse and a possible drug overdose, he said.
As for Pavel Antov, “he was probably disturbed by the death of his friend and went to the hotel terrace from where he probably fell and died,” the police chief explained.
Against the war?
In June, Russian media published a WhatsApp message attributed to Pavel Antov declaring the Russian bombing of Ukraine acts of “terrorism”.
Antov had denied on the Russian social network VK having written this message, saying that he supported “the special military operation”, the official formula of the authorities to designate the war led by Russia against Ukraine.
Source: BFM TV
