The Russian responsible for building the Kremlin’s naval fleet dies suddenly

The head of a major Russian shipyard that has been working on ships in the country’s naval fleet died suddenly, sparking speculation online about other similar deaths of prominent Russians this year.

Alexander Buzakov, the 66-year-old director general of Admiralty Shipyards for the United Shipbuilding Company, died on Saturday. No cause of death has yet been reported for the wealthy businessman. A report by Russia’s state news agency TASS said his death was “too early” and tragic.

“United Shipbuilding Corporation, Admiralty Shipyards and the entire national shipbuilding industry suffered an irreparable loss when Alexander Sergeevich Buzakov, Director General of Admiralty Shipyards, died at the age of 66,” United Shipbuilding wrote in a statement. “He took responsibility for the most complex jobs and completed each one with dignity, earning an excellent reputation both in the industry and among county leaders.”

Buzakov’s company is known for specializing in non-nuclear submarines. According to an official statement, he dedicated his life’s work to strengthening the Russian naval fleet until his death. Just a day before his death, Buzakov attended a float-out ceremony for his company’s newest ship, a new named submarine Veliky Luke. He was a veteran of the business with over 40 years experience and 11 years at the helm of Admiralty Shipyards.

The sudden death of Buzakov and his prominent status in the country’s business community has sparked some online speculation due to the recent trend of sudden and mysterious deaths among Russia’s elite over the past year. Since January, eleven so-called Russian “oligarchs” have died in suspicious circumstances, often officially explained as apparent suicides or accidents.

At least four of the deaths in early September involved businessmen linked to Gazprom, a major Russian state-owned energy company, a CNN report noted. Gazprom is notable among Russian companies for having released statements condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year and calling for empathy for the victims of the war. This has led to widespread speculation that these deaths are state-ordered attacks on key figures disloyal to Putin.

Around the same time, the families of some of these prominent victims were also found dead. The official stories behind these incidents were that the oligarchs killed their family members before taking their own lives.

news week turned to foreign defense experts for comment.