A rising star in the banking sector
Kristina Baikova, the 28-year-old vice president of Loko-Bank, one of Russia’s leading private banks, died after falling from her 11th-floor apartment window in Moscow on June 23, 2023. She was pronounced dead at the scene by the paramedics.
Baikova was a rising star in the banking sector, having joined Loko-Bank in 2021 as a deputy head of the corporate finance department. She was promoted to vice president in 2022, overseeing the bank’s strategic development and financial operations.
According to her colleagues, Baikova was a talented and ambitious professional, who had a bright future ahead of her. She was also known for her charitable work, supporting various social and environmental causes.
A mysterious fall with a male friend
The circumstances of Baikova’s death are still unclear, as the police have launched an investigation into the incident. According to the Baza Telegram channel, Baikova was with a 34-year-old male friend named Andrei at the time of her death. The man said he was invited by Baikova to her Khodynsky Boulevard apartment for drinks and that she had gone out onto her balcony before she tumbled to the ground below.
The police have not confirmed the identity of the man, nor his relationship with Baikova. They have also not ruled out the possibility of foul play, as there were no signs of a struggle or a suicide note at the scene.
Some sources have speculated that Baikova’s death may be linked to the financial troubles of Loko-Bank, which had suffered a 90% drop in profits in the first quarter of 2023, due to the economic sanctions imposed by the West over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The bank had also faced allegations of money laundering and fraud, which had damaged its reputation and credibility.
A suspicious trend of fatal falls in Russia
Baikova’s death is the latest in a series of mysterious fatal falls involving some of Russia’s top business and government figures, especially those who had been critical of President Vladimir Putin and his policies.
In August 2022, Dan Rapoport, a well-known critic of Putin who was exiled from Russia, was found dead after plunging from his Washington, DC, luxury apartment building. His wife disputed the claims that he had committed suicide, saying that he had no reason to end his life.
In September 2022, Ravil Maganov, the chairman of the board of directors of oil company Lukoil, fell from a sixth-floor window at a hospital in Moscow and died. Lukoil had been vocal in its criticism of Putin and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which had affected its business interests.
In December 2022, Grigory Kochenov, the creative director of an IT company, plunged from his apartment balcony and fell to his death while Russian authorities searched his apartment. He was suspected of being involved in a cyberattack against the Kremlin.
Also in December 2022, a Russian sausage tycoon fell to his death from a hotel window in India, just two days after his friend, also from Russia, died at the same hotel. The police said they were investigating the possibility of a murder-suicide pact.
In June 2023, a federal judge, Artyom Bartenev, fell 12 stories from his apartment building and was pronounced dead at the scene. He had presided over several high-profile cases, including some related to corruption and human rights violations.
Some analysts have dubbed this phenomenon as “Sudden Russian Death Syndrome”, suggesting that these deaths may not be accidental or suicidal, but rather orchestrated by the Kremlin or its allies, to silence dissent and opposition.
