KRASNODAR, Russia – The head of one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state TV channels, Zoya Konovalova, was found dead alongside her ex-husband in the Krasnodar region. Officials suspect poisoning as the cause of death.
Konovalova, 48, served as the editor-in-chief of the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company Kuban. Both bodies showed no visible injuries, and the state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported that the cause of death is believed to be poisoning.
This incident is the latest in a series of mysterious deaths involving prominent Russian figures since Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Shortly before her death, Konovalova had been leading the digital editorial office of the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company Kuban.
An investigation into the deaths has been launched by the Investigative Committee’s Krasnodar department, as concerns grow over the pattern of deaths of Russian journalists and media professionals in recent months.
This news comes following the deaths of another Russian journalist, Alexander Rybin, in the Rostov region, and Anna Tsareva, the deputy editor-in-chief of Komsomolskaya Pravda, in Moscow. Both cases further fuel suspicions surrounding the circumstances of their deaths, intensifying public concern.
The deaths of these individuals raise questions around the safety and security of journalists and media professionals in Russia, while officials work to determine the cause of these tragic incidents.