Dmitry Zelenov, a 50-year-old Russian real estate tycoon, died on December 9 in the French Riviera town of Antibes after falling down a flight of stairs, according to Russian outlet Baza and French local newspaper Var Matin. He was out to dinner with friends when he felt unwell and tumbled, sustaining serious head injuries. Rushed to hospital, doctors could not save him, and his death was confirmed the following day by the public prosecutor in Grasse.
Zelenov, a co-founder of Don-Stroy, one of Moscow's largest real estate development firms, had undergone surgery for undisclosed heart problems weeks before his death, Baza reported. He regularly featured on Forbes' list of wealthiest Russians until the 2008 financial crisis caused significant losses for Don-Stroy.
His death echoes that of Anatoly Gerashchenko, former head of Moscow's Aviation Institute (MAI), who died in September after a similar fall at the institute. Gerashchenko, 73, was a distinguished professor and advisor to the rector. MAI is closely linked to Russia's Defence Ministry.
These incidents are part of a pattern of suspicious deaths among Russian elites since the war in Ukraine began. In September, Ivan Pechorin, 39, managing director of Putin's Far East and Arctic Development Corporation, fell overboard near Vladivostok. His predecessor, Igor Nosov, died of a stroke in February.
