A Japanese CEO with close links to Vladimir Putin’s inner circle has been found dead in a 5-star Moscow hotel.
Music chief Jun Aoki, 55, Russia, died in the iconic Stalin skyscraper, formerly the Ukraine Hotel, now the five-star Radisson Collection Hotel Moscow. His company said the cause of the death was “currently being determined”.
Russian outlet RBC also reported an investigation was underway while “no bodily injuries were found”. A law enforcement source reportedly told RBC the businessman’s death did not appear to be of a “criminal nature”.
Another media source, BAZA, said “acute heart failure” was suspected. Aoki had not made contact for several days.
His acquaintances alerted police, and his body was found at the prominent hotel, across the Moscow River from the headquarters of Putin’s government, according to reports.
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The Japanese businessman served on the high-powered board of trustees of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, founded in 1866, which is headed by one of Putin’s closest friends Viktor Zubkov, 82, now powerful chairman of energy giant Gazprom, and earlier Russian prime minister. The tough Zubkov, who has been pals with Putin since the old days, is seen as one of his closest mates.
Zubkov used to have a son-in-law, Anatoliy Serdyukov, who was in charge of Russia’s army. Big energy companies like Gazprom have had some mysterious deaths while Putin’s fighting in Ukraine.
Two other big names who like Putin, Sergei Mironov, aged 71, and Leonid Slutsky, aged 56, work with Zubkov on an important group. Yamaha Music said something short about their boss Jun Aoki passing away: “We confirm the passing of our CEO Jun Aoki. The cause of his death is currently being determined. The company continues to operate as normal.”
This sad news comes after someone who used to help Alexei Navalny, a man who didn’t agree with Putin, was attacked really badly. Leonid Volkov, who is 43, got hit with a hammer and sprayed with something that burns when he was getting out of his car at home in Lithuania last month.
People are saying that Russia is still chasing after people who were friends with Navalny, even though it’s been a month since he was found dead in a jail in Siberia.
On February 16, they found the body of a guy who didn’t get along with Putin, all bruised up, making folks worry that Putin might have wanted him gone.
Leonid Volkov, a close friend of Alexei Navalny, was attacked in a scary incident. He had been working with Navalny when he tried to become president.
Pictures show Leonid with bad marks on his face and blood on his legs. He lives in a little village and nothing was taken from his house.
This makes people think someone told the attacker to do this. The police in Lithuania know about what happened and are looking into it.
Ivan Zhdanov, who works with Navalny, put pictures on the internet showing the injuries. When asked if the attacker said anything, Ivan shared: “Everything happened in silence. Of course this is a clear political attack, there is no doubt here”.
