British-educated Russian musician Vadim Stroykin, 58, fell to his death from a 10th floor window after police raided his building, investigating him over alleged donations to the Ukrainian Armed Forces
A Russian singer fell to his death from a 10th floor apartment moments after police stormed his building.
British-educated Vadim Stroykin, 58, is thought to have donated to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Ukrainian army is designated as a terrorist organisation in Russia, meaning the musician and radio host faced up to 20 years in prison for supporting it.
Stroykin plunged from his window after police performed a search of his flat in St Petersburg, Russian media said. It came after authorities launched an investigation into Stroykin’s suspected “participation in a terrorist organisation”.
According to Russian Telegram channels, he “went into a spare room, hastily opened a window and committed an irreversible act” during the police raid on his house. Stroykin had made several anti-war posts online. He had also called Vladimir Putin a “b****** who went to war not only against a brotherly nation, but declared war on his own people”.
Stroykin was born in the Ural Mountains. He graduated from the British College of Journalism before becoming a radio host for the Echo of Moscow station. He went on to release several albums of his own music and also launched a successful travel agency before moving to St Petersburg and opening a guitar school.
Stroykin is just the latest in a very long line of Putin critics to have died after falling from windows. Top Russian colonel Artur Pryakhin died earlier this week after plunging 50ft from a fifth floor window. Authorities were reportedly looking into his death, but official media outlets rushed out reports that he died by “suicide” before an investigation had concluded.
It comes as Colonel Alexey Zubkov is fighting for his life after he plummeted a fourth floor window, according to Telegram channel VChK-OGPU. Zubkov was reportedly “conscious” after but was unable to explain why he had fallen. He is the head of the forensic investigations department of Russia’s Investigative Committee.
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