(NewsReady.com) – Usually, when a high-profile individual is found dead in Russia, everyone side-eyes President Vladimir Putin. After all, it’s no secret that his government has killed his enemies in the past. Recently, however, one of his closest allies was found dead.
Zoya Konovalova was the head of one of the most important TV channels on Russian state television. The 48-year-old served as the editor-in-chief of Kuban State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company. On January 5, the Russian Investigative Committee found Konovalova and her 52-year-old former husband, Andrey Gubatiyka, dead.
The two were found close to one another in Konovolova’s bedroom in the Krasnodar region. Authorities stated that neither of the corpses had visible injuries on them. There are also reports that a piece of plastic baggie was found in the home with a powdery substance on it. However, those who knew her said that she didn’t do drugs of any kind. Officials suspect she died from being poisoned but haven’t revealed what substance might have been used.
Gubatiyka and Konovalova shared an adult son and a 15-year-old daughter.
Konovalova’s death makes her one of many media figures who have been killed since the start of the war in February 2022. Anna Tsareva, the editor-in-chief of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s favorite newspaper, Komsomolskaya Pravda, was found dead in December. The 35-year-old’s body was in her apartment, and like Konovalova, there was no sign of trauma or a break-in at her home.
According to reports, Tsareva was ill leading up to her death. She’d been suffering from a respiratory infection and a high fever. Reports indicated she may have died from heart failure. Her death came one year after her former boss, Vladimir Sungorkin, died. He reportedly had a stroke while on a trip. Colleagues who were with him at the time said that nothing appeared out of the ordinary when he suddenly fell unconscious and passed away.
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