Putin 'killing Russian elite' to cling to power as 39 oligarchs and officials mysteriously die

Sergey Grishin – the “Scarface” oligarch who sold Meghan and Harry their Californian mansion – died this week from sepsis after criticising Putin.

Russian scientist Andrey Botikov, who invented “Sputnik V” vaccine was strangled with a belt in his apartment last week.

Putin has been described as running "modern-day FSB version of Murder Inc” by Jon Sweet, a retired US Army Military Intelligence Officer, and Mark Toth, a national security analyst.

Murder Inc. was an organised crime group which operated in the US and is believed to have been responsible for more than 1,000 contact killings in the 1930s.

"Anyone seen as a potential threat seems to have an attraction to an open window," Sweet told The Sun.

The number of deaths has appeared to have grown at an alarming rate over the last 12 months.

Professor Anthony Glees, an intelligence expert from the University of Buckingham, said that the murder of his enemies - and his allies - is just "course of conduct" for Putin.

He explains that a key moment over the last year which could be linked to the deaths was in March 2022 when Putin raged about there being "Fifth Columnists" in Russia.

"Fifth Columnists" is a broad term to refer to enemies within nations, with Putin describing them as "scum and traitors" that need to "purified" and "killed" within Russia.

"There are two kinds of victim, as far as we can tell: those who are opposed to Putin's Ukraine policies, frequently involved in big Russian corporations," Professor Glees said.

"And those who Putin believes have double-crossed him, oligarchs from the world of business who have taken the money but not done his bidding, whether kept cash not meant for them, or opposed him politically, or perhaps both."

Many of the deaths are particularly strange and then get ruled as "suicide" and quickly brushed over by the Russian authorities.

Colonel Vadim Boyko was shot five times in his office, but the military chief's death was deemed as self-inflicted.

The case of Pavel Antov, who died alongside his friend Vladimir Budanov, has also left many unanswered questions.

Both men died while Antov was celebrating his birthday at a hotel in Odisha, India.

Budanov - described as Antov's companion - was found dead in his hotel room and then just days later the Antov was found dead in a pool of blood having apparently fallen from the hotel.

His death came just days after he criticised Putin's war in Ukraine.

In the space of just one month three businessmen - Vasily Melnikov, Vladislav Avayev, and Sergei Protosenya - died alongside their families in a trio of alleged "murder-suicides".

National security analyst, Toth added: "The Kremlin, absolutely, is the connective tissue behind Putin’s modern-day FSB version of Murder, Inc. when it comes to the propensity for Russia’s elite 'falling' out of windows, conveniently dying of 'heart attacks', or committing 'suicide'.

"We can’t know exactly how many, but most of these deaths are not people dying from natural causes or self-harm.”