Russian journalist Alexander Rybin, 39, was discovered dead on January 7 near Shakhty in the Rostov region, after expressing his intent to reveal new information regarding what he claimed was “gigantic corruption” within the Putin regime.
Rybin, who had recently visited the war-torn city of Mariupol, criticized Putin for the slow reconstruction efforts, highlighting significant corruption opportunities.
The cause of Rybin’s death was officially declared as “cardiomyopathy” following an autopsy, as reported by Russian state media. Notably, his bank cards and valuables remained untouched. Rybin, was part of the pro-Putin forces in Luhansk from 2014 to 2015, but had become disillusioned with the “Russian Spring.” More recently, he’d been working for the left-wing outlet Rabkor while freelancing for other Russian media outlets, including some pro-Putin publications.
“What happened to him is unknown. And perhaps we will never know the whole truth about this story. Sudden death from natural causes? Sasha did not give the impression of being sick and never complained about his health. And if he was killed, then who did it, why and how?” Rabkor wrote in their announcement of his death, as reported by the Daily Beast.
In a broadcast from Mariupol on December 30, Rybin hinted at the existence of substantial corruption, promising to disclose more details later.
“There is gigantic money here, there are gigantic opportunities for corruption,” he said. “My personal impression — I’m not accusing anybody of anything… is that there is a gigantic corruption going on in Mariupol.”
Rybin’s untimely demise adds to the chain of mysterious deaths in Russia, coinciding with Putin’s war in Ukraine. On January 5, just two days before he was found, Zoya Konovalova, the 48-year-old chief editor of the state-run Kuban channel, was found dead alongside her ex-husband. They are suspected to have been poisoned.
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