• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it

2

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

3

Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars

1

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it

2

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

3

Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
Russia
Europe

The son of a Russian oligarch accused of killing himself and his family says his father was murdered

By
Tristan Bove
Tristan Bove
Contributing Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Tristan Bove
Tristan Bove
Contributing Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 26, 2022, 2:12 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

A new twist in a gruesome story involving the deaths of an elite Russian family is raising questions about the nature of the crime and others like it.

Sergey Protosenya, a Russian oligarch who formerly served as deputy chairman of gas company Novatek, was found dead by hanging on April 19 in a villa on the Catalonian coastline, local outlet El Punt Avui reported. Mossos, the local police force, announced last week that the bodies of Protosenya’s wife, Natalya, and teenage daughter, Maria, were also found at the scene, and that the two had died by stabbing. Mossos also said that the three deaths occurred while the family was on their Easter vacation.

Spanish authorities suspect that Protosenya murdered his family members, then killed himself, according to Spanish news outlet Telecinco. 

But Protosenya’s son, Fedor, who was in France at the time of the deaths, doesn’t believe that his father murdered anyone. 

“My father is not a killer,” Fedor told U.K. newspaper the Daily Mail on Tuesday.

Fedor Protosenya is convinced of his father’s innocence, saying that he “could never harm” his family and alleging that all three were victims of a homicide.

“He loved my mother and especially Maria, my sister,” Fedor said. “He could never do anything to harm them. I don’t know what happened that night but I know that my dad did not hurt them.”

Fortune was not able to contact Protosenya.

Fedor was not the first to challenge the leading murder-suicide theory of the case. 

Novatek—Russia’s second-largest gas company—publicly came out with a statement last Thursday defending its former executive and casting further doubt on the prevailing theory.

The company remembered Protosenya—who was employed there between 1997 and 2015—as a “wonderful family man” and disputed the murder-suicide premise.

“We are convinced that these speculations bear no relation to reality,” the statement read.

The scene of the crime reportedly lacked fingerprints on the murder weapons used against Natalya and Maria, and there was no blood on Protosenya’s body, according to El Punt Avui, a local newspaper. Protosenya was described by neighbors as largely leading a “quiet life” and having no history of “complaints of gender-based violence,” Telecinco reported. 

The case of the Protosenya family is the latest in a string of deaths of Russian elites over the past few weeks.

The bodies of the Protosenya family were discovered only a day after news broke that Vladislav Avayev—former vice president of Gazprombank—as well as those of his wife and 13-year-old daughter were found dead in their Moscow apartment. Avayev was found with a pistol in hand, and the case is also being treated by authorities as a murder-suicide, as reported by Tass, a Russian state-owned news outlet.

In March, billionaire businessman and owner of wholesale company Medstom, Vasily Melnikov, was also found dead in his home in the city of Nizhny Novgorod alongside the bodies of his wife and two sons. Police investigations have determined this case to have also been a murder-suicide, according to Russian news outlet Kommersant.

Russian oligarchs Alexander Tulyakov and Leonid Shulman were also found dead earlier this year in their homes near St. Petersburg. Both were former executives of state-owned gas company Gazprom, and evidence at both scenes suggested suicide. Shulman’s body was found with a suicide note, while Tulyakov was found by his partner hanging in his garage, according to U.K. outlet the Mirror.

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.
About the Author
By Tristan BoveContributing Reporter
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Iran floats ‘insurance fees’ and asserts control over Hormuz
EnergyIran
Iran floats ‘insurance fees’ and asserts control over Hormuz
By Alex Longley, Alaric Nightingale, Ellen Milligan and BloombergJune 20, 2026
27 minutes ago
Utah’s measles outbreak has slowed, but the start of school and colder weather in the fall may create another surge. ‘It’s still transmitting’
HealthMeasles
Utah’s measles outbreak has slowed, but the start of school and colder weather in the fall may create another surge. ‘It’s still transmitting’
By Devi Shastri and The Associated PressJune 20, 2026
36 minutes ago
New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s decision to drop forward guidance may actually empower the central bank’s other policymakers
BankingFederal Reserve
New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s decision to drop forward guidance may actually empower the central bank’s other policymakers
By Christopher Rugaber and The Associated PressJune 20, 2026
50 minutes ago
World Cup fans say tickets never arrived and orders were canceled. ‘He had told all his friends that he was going to that game. He literally cried’
Travel & LeisureSoccer
World Cup fans say tickets never arrived and orders were canceled. ‘He had told all his friends that he was going to that game. He literally cried’
By R.J. Rico, Emilie Megnien and The Associated PressJune 20, 2026
1 hour ago
Trump shows off new Air Force One, a gift from Qatar, and admits ‘a normal president wouldn’t do this’
PoliticsDonald Trump
Trump shows off new Air Force One, a gift from Qatar, and admits ‘a normal president wouldn’t do this’
By Seung Min Kim, Manuel Balce Ceneta and The Associated PressJune 20, 2026
1 hour ago
Senators are particularly concerned about the $300 billion fund for Iranian reconstruction as Congress asks if war was worth it
PoliticsIran
Senators are particularly concerned about the $300 billion fund for Iranian reconstruction as Congress asks if war was worth it
By Lisa Mascaro and The Associated PressJune 20, 2026
1 hour ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Sydney LakeJune 19, 2026
1 day ago
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
Success
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
2 days ago
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
Success
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
By Preston ForeJune 17, 2026
3 days ago
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
Economy
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
By Jacqueline MunisJune 17, 2026
3 days ago
Exclusive: Azzi Fudd joins Project B, the international league chasing a billion-dollar opportunity in global basketball
MPW
Exclusive: Azzi Fudd joins Project B, the international league chasing a billion-dollar opportunity in global basketball
By Emma HinchliffeJune 19, 2026
1 day ago
The man who lived through the fall of the Soviet Union and helped wealthy Chinese move to Canada sees a familiar picture in America
Success
The man who lived through the fall of the Soviet Union and helped wealthy Chinese move to Canada sees a familiar picture in America
By Nick LichtenbergJune 17, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.