- A former Russian minister found dead in the US had suffered injuries to the head and body
- The suspicious death of Minister Mikhail Lesin in Washington sparked rumors of foul play
- Lesin had been living in the US for more than two years when he died
After nearly four months, investigators have revealed that former Russian Press Minister Mikhail Lesin, who was found dead in his room at a hotel in Washington, D.C. in November 2015, had suffered blunt force injuries to the head and body; indicating a possibility that foul play may be involved.
Lesin, who served under President Vladimir Putin from 1999 to 2004, also sustained blunt force injuries to the neck, torso, arms and legs, and was found lying on the floor in his hotel room. This prompted a case investigation by US law enforcement, who are closely coordinating with the Russian Embassy in Washington.
“There is an avenue of direct communication between the police department and the Russian government,” State Department spokesman John Kirby told Reuters.
Russia’s RT television had earlier quoted family members as saying he had died of a heart attack; however, since then, authorities in Washington have not yet ruled out the possibility that the 57-year-old former press minister had been attacked.
Investigators are yet to find any probable motive or identify possible suspects. When the body of Lesin was first discovered, there had been no other damages in the room that indicated foul play.
Authorities are still open to the possibility that the investigation would turn into a full-blown murder probe should any suspicious evidence emerge. Lesin’s death is still officially “undetermined.”
The air of mystery surrounding the death of Lesin, who has maintained a relatively low profile since leaving his government post, has led to several rumors and conspiracy theories circulating in Washington and in his native Russia.
In fact, even the Russian embassy has indicated that they have not been given any “substantial information” yet.
“In the past several months the Russian embassy repeatedly requested through diplomatic channels information regarding the progress of investigation of the death of the Russian citizen. No substantial information has been provided,” Russian Embassy spokesperson Yury Melnik told the Guardian.
The former press minister was once head of the state-controlled Gazprom-Media in 2013 but has since resigned and moved his family to live in Beverly Hills, California.
He was supposedly in Washington to attend a gala dinner honoring a Russian billionaire-philanthropist on the night that he died. It was reported that Lesin never made it to the event.
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