The vice president of Russia’s state-owned oil pipeline giant Transneft, Andrei Badalov, has died after reportedly falling from a window at his home in the upscale Moscow suburb of Rublyovka, Russian state media reported Friday.
Transneft confirmed the 62-year-old executive’s death but did not provide details regarding the circumstances. In a statement, the company noted that Badalov served during a “difficult and stressful period” for the oil industry, referencing ongoing Western sanctions.
According to the state-run TASS news agency, Badalov’s body was discovered beneath the windows of a residence along the Rublyovo-Uspenskoye highway. An unnamed law enforcement source told TASS that the preliminary cause of death is suicide, and a formal investigation is underway.
Badalov had been with Transneft since July 2021, where he led the company’s digital transformation initiatives.
His death adds to a growing list of mysterious and high-profile fatalities among Russian energy executives following the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In 2022 alone, at least four deaths were connected to Gazprom, Russia’s state-owned gas behemoth, while others involved top figures from energy firms Novatek and Lukoil.
The ongoing string of unexplained deaths has fueled speculation and concern over internal pressures within Russia’s powerful and tightly controlled energy sector.
