Vladimir Putin: Director of Russian President's 'favourite' newspaper mysteriously dies after suffocating

The editor-in-chief and director general of Vladimir Putin’s 'favourite' pro-Kremlin newspaper, Komsomolskaya Pravda (KP), has died at the age of 68.

Putin ally 'began to suffocate'

Putin's ally Vladimir Sungorkindied from 'a stroke' during a business trip to the Khabarovsk territory in Russia's far east, a columnist for KP told the state-run Interfax news agency. Alexander Gamov said, as reported by Newsweek:

Vladimir Nikolaevich died. A stroke was suspected. He was on a business trip in the Khabarovsk Territory. Now we are organizing his removal to Moscow.

As reported by the Daily Beast, his colleague Leonid Zakharov, who was with him on the trip, wrote in a story for KP:

It happened absolutely suddenly, nothing foreshadowed... Three minutes later, Vladimir began to suffocate. We took him out for fresh air, he was already unconscious… Nothing helped. The doctor who did the initial examination said that apparently, it was a stroke. But this is the initial conclusion.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday 15 September:

This is a great loss. Today is sad news, unfortunately, Sungorkin passed away. We knew him very well.

The presidential spokesperson added that the Kremlin has expressed its condolences and Putin will send a personal message to Sungorkin's family and friends.

Putin's 'favourite' newspaper

Sungorkin was sanctioned by the European Commission in April as a result of Putin’s war in Ukraine. The Commission’s sanctions list said:

The newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda has been described also by President Vladimir Putin as his favourite newspaper. Vladimir Sungorkin is therefore responsible for supporting actions and policies which undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

It's the latest in a series of deaths of Putin allies. Energy executive Ivan Pechorin died after falling overboard from a speeding boat just five days ago, on 10 September. Colonel Bardin Artem Igorevich was killed by a suspectedcar bomb at the start of September, and finally the daughter of'Putin’s brain', Darya Dugina, was also killed in a car bombingin August.

Sources used:

- Newsweek: 'Putin Ally Dies 'of Stroke' in Russia's Far East'

- Daily Beast: 'Another Putin Ally Dead After 'Suffocating' on Business Trip'

Read more:

⋙ Another Russian businessman mysteriously dies after falling from boat

⋙ Another Vladimir Putin ally killed by car bomb in recent series of attacks

⋙ Vladimir Putin suspected of being behind the car bomb that killed Darya Dugina