Top Russian Military Official Dead After Fall From 16th Floor
A Russian military official in charge of financial provisions for the military district blamed for the Kremlin’s worst losses in Ukraine has been found dead after a nasty fall from a St. Petersburg high-rise.
Marina Yankina, head of the department of financial provisions for the Western Military District, was found dead on a sidewalk on Wednesday morning, according to multiple local reports. She is just the latest in a growing list of Russian military officials, defense industry figures, war critics, and gas and oil execs to die suddenly and mysteriously since the start of the full-scale invasion last year.
The 58-year-old’s belongings and documents were found on a balcony on the 16th floor of the building, Mash reports.
Russia’s Investigative Committee is looking into the circumstances of the deadly plunge, with their preliminary conclusion being suicide, according to Fontanka.
Prior to joining the Western Military District, Yankina worked in the Federal Tax Service.
The Western Military District has incurred some of the heaviest losses in Russia’s war against Ukraine—and been blamed for a string of humiliating battlefield losses.
Colonel-General Alexander Zhuravlyov was sent packing as commander of the district in October following huge losses in Kharkiv. His successor, Lieutenant-General Roman Berdnikov, was sacked a few months later after lasting less than three months.
Colonel-General Sergey Kuzovlev then took the helm, only to be replaced a few weeks later by Lieutenant General Yevgeny Nikiforov.
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