Taylor Weighs in on Mysterious Deaths of Russian Businessmen in Vox Article

October 21, 2022

Vox

Brian Taylor

Political Science Department

Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs

Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict & Collaboration

Russia

Vox

Brian Taylor

At least 15 Russian businessmen and executives have died in apparent accidents or by suicide in the last eight months, including a number of Putin allies. Brian Taylor, professor of political science and expert in Russian politics, sees “more than just randomness” in the deaths.

“The number of [deaths] seems higher than random chance would suggest, but that doesn’t mean that it’s all part of the same story,” Taylor says. “Some of them really could be suicides or accidents. Some of them could be murders.”

According to Taylor, the deaths could have more to do with “shady business, attempt to cover tracks, attempt to wipe out a competitor, trying to maybe get rid of someone who’s inconvenient at a time when there’s a lot of pressure on state-affiliated companies, especially in the oil and gas sector, but also in the defense sector.”

Read more in the Vox article, "Russian businessmen keep dying. No one knows why."