Sudden Death: Russian 2nd Oil Producer Allegedly Killed Himself

Russian state news agency reported the death of Ravil Maganov as a suicide, citing a law enforcement source. It quoted the source as saying Ravil Maganov had been admitted to hospital after suffering a heart attack, and was also taking anti-depressants.

Ravil Maganov, the chairman of Russia's second-largest oil producer Lukoil LKOH.MM, died on Thursday after falling from a hospital window in Moscow, two sources familiar with the situation said, becoming the latest in a series of businessmen to meet with sudden unexplained deaths.

The sources confirmed reports by several Russian media that the 67-year-old had plunged to his death, but the circumstances surrounding his fall were unclear.

Three sources told Reuters that, based on their close acquaintance with Maganov, they did not believe he would have killed himself.

Another source close to the company said there was a belief inside Lukoil management that he had committed suicide, but the source had not seen evidence or documents to support that.

Moscow police referred Reuters questions about the death to the state Investigative Committee, which did not respond to a request for comment.

Lukoil is a private company that competes with Russian state energy giant Rosneft ROSN.MM. It said in a statement that Maganov had "passed away following a serious illness".

"Lukoil's many thousands of employees mourn deeply for this grievous loss and express their sincere condolences to Ravil Maganov's family," it said.

At least six other Russian businessmen, most with ties to the energy industry, have died suddenly in unclear circumstances in the past few months.

The deaths were all in Russia apart from that of Sergei Protosenya, a former top manager of Russia's largest liquefied natural gas producer Novatek NVTK.MM, who was found with the bodies of his wife and daughter at a villa in Spain. Catalan regional police, investigating the case, have said they believe he killed them and then took his own life.