Vladimir Putin critic found dead on the side of road after vowing to expose 'gigantic corruption'
Alexander Rybin had been critical of Putin's regime
Reuters
A critic of Vladimir Putin has been found dead on the side of the road after vowing to expose "gigantic corruption".
Alexander Rybin, 39, was found by the roadside in the city of Shakhty, in the southwestern region of Rostov, near the borders with Ukraine.
The war journalist had recently visited Russian-occupied Mariupol, where he criticised Putin's regime in an on-air report.
The Kremlin sees the city as a holiday destination for Russians on the Azov Sea.
The war journalist had recently visited Mariupol, where he criticised Putin's regime in an on-air report
But the 39-year-old slammed the regime for its slowness in rebuilding the destroyed city that was captured in May 2022.
He revealed an influx of immigrants to rebuild the city, as well as a huge amount of money being pumped in by the state.
On December 30 he said: "There is gigantic money here, there are gigantic opportunities for corruption.
"My personal impression - I'm not accusing anybody of anything... is that there is a gigantic corruption going on in Mariupol, which the Russian army occupied with heavy fighting in Spring 2022.
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Rybin's autopsy revealed "cardiomyopathy" as his cause of death
"The year 2023, in my opinion, is in no way easier for the residents of Mariupol than what was happening in 2022, unfortunately.”
At the same time however he slammed the "gigantic corruption" taking place and vowed to reveal more details online after returning to Moscow.
But he never made it back to the Russian capital, instead being found dead by the road.
His autopsy revealed "cardiomyopathy" as his cause of death.
Before turning to war journalism, Rybin had previously fought in Luhansk for pro-Russian forces between 2014 and 2015.
He later became disillusioned with the so-called 'Russian Spring' and left the fight.
During his time as a war journalist, he worked for multiple Russian outlets across the world.
He spent time in the US, the Middle East, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan.
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