Son of ‘Only Man Vladimir Putin Trusts’ Dies Under Mysterious Circumstances

Ivan Sechin, 35, heir of wealthy Igor Sechin – the powerful head of oil giant Rosneft and one of the closest confidants of Putin, died after complaining that he was suffocating. He died in an elite village near Moscow. His death was mysteriously covered up for two weeks before being leaked this week, according to a report by the Daily Mail.

Ivan’s death is the latest among the dozens of mysterious deaths of people related to Russia’s energy sector which began since the start of Putin’s war in Ukraine.

The Daily Mail in its report said that Ivan died from ‘a detached blood clot’. It is also similar to the reason given for Putin critic Alexei Navalny’s death. Ivan’s death comes amid speculations that there will be major personnel changes after Putin wins his sixth term as president after next month’s elections.

Ivan died in Europe-1 village in Krasnogorsk, in a house which is frequented by close associates of Vladimir Putin. “At approximately 4.30am on the night of February 5, 35-year-old Ivan complained that he felt bad and was suffocating. The man fell on the bed and lost consciousness,” Russian Telegram channel VChK-OGPU claimed.

“Those around him carried Ivan to the floor and tried to provide primary resuscitation measures. At the same time, Ivan Sechin’s security guard called an ambulance. When the ambulance arrived at the scene, the doctors were only able to ascertain Ivan’s death,” the Telegram channel said. Ivan was buried three days later.

He worked as an executive on offshore projects and accompanied his father Igor on foreign trips. Ivan was a graduate from Moscow State University and he previously worked as an analyst at Gazprombank before joining his father at Rosneft.

The Daily Mail in its report also said that Ivan Sechin, who was once called Putin’s de-facto deputy, prevented the Russian authorities, the spy organisation FSB and other security forces from examining the circumstances behind his son’s death.

He has ordered the Rosneft Security Service, comprising former FSB and Investigative Committee employees who are loyal to him, to investigate what led to his son’s death. Ivan was also awarded the Order for Service to the Fatherland by Putin when he was 26.