Russia's Sudan envoy latest in string of diplomat deaths

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Russia’s ambassador to Sudan Mirgayas Shirinsky was found dead in the swimming pool at his Khartoum home on Wednesday, becoming the ninth high-profile Russian official to have died unexpectedly in the past 10 months. The deaths have prompted several conspiracy theories on the internet.

Russia's RIA Novosti state news agency reported the veteran diplomat's death, citing the foreign ministry in Moscow. "We grieve to announce that on August 23 in Khartoum the Russian ambassador to Sudan, M. Shirinsky, died," it said.

The press secretary at Russia's embassy, Sergei Konyashin, said there were signs the ambassador had suffered a heart attack. "Mirgayas Shirinsky was found in his residence in a suburb of Khartoum with signs of an acute heart attack," Konyashin told Rossiya-24 TV. "Doctors were called but they didn’t manage to save him."

An AFP report quoted local police saying the Russian ambassador “died while he was swimming in his pool at his house” but that an initial investigation had ruled out foul play.

Shirinsky's death came just days ahead of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al Bashir's first visit to Moscow this month. His death is the ninth in the series of unexpected deaths involving Russian diplomats since late last year.

Russia’s ambassador to Sudan Mirgayas Shirinsky was found dead in the swimming pool at his Khartoum home on Wednesday. /The Nation Photo

Conspiracy theories

The spate of deaths began on November 8 last year, the very day Donald Trump was elected US president, prompting several conspiracy theories on the Internet and online sleuths trying to look for a pattern with some even linking the deaths to Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. Nothing has emerged so far to make that connection.

“But in a world where the Russian government is accused regularly of murdering enemies with exotic poisons, amateur sleuths are quick to surmise, without any proof, that someone may be hitting back. And the singular dearth of information about the dead makes conspiracy theories easy to spin. Were they diplomats or spies? Loyal servants of the Kremlin or traitors? Theories abounds where facts are lacking,” wrote Anna Nemtsova in The Daily Beast.

“Life expectancy for men is slightly more than 66 (in Russia), and coronary disease accounts for almost half the country’s dead,” she added, putting the conspiracy theories at rest.

Spate of deaths

Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Ankara, is seen lying on the floor after being shot by Mevlut Mert Altintas (R), an off-duty Turkish police officer, at a public event in Ankara, on December 19, 2016. /AFP Photo

Here's a look at the eight deaths prior to Shirinsky’s passing away on Wednesday:

November 8, 2016 - Sergei Krivov, duty commander of the Russian consulate in New York

On the day that Americans were voting to elect Trump as president, Sergei Krivov, 63, was found dead with a head wound at the Russian consulate in New York. Emergency responders declared him dead at the scene. Russian consular officials first said Krivov fell from the roof.

Later, they changed their version saying he died of a heart attack. The initial police report filed on the day of the incident said Krivov was found "with an unknown trauma to the head," according to a New York Police Department spokesman.

However, after conducting an autopsy and finishing its investigation, the New York City Medical Examiner ruled that Krivov died from bleeding in the chest area, likely due to a tumor. Police sources said foul play wasn't suspected and that Krivov had been in poor health.

December 19, 2016 - Andrei Karlov, Russian ambassador to Turkey

Andrei Karlov. /AFP Photo

Andrei Karlov, 62, was shot dead at point-blank range by Mevlut Mert Altintas, an off-duty Turkish police officer, at an art exhibition in Ankara.

The assassination took place after several days of protests in Turkey over Russian involvement in the Syrian Civil War and the battle over Aleppo. The shooter shouted "do not forget Syria" during the assassination.

December 19, 2016 - Peter Polshikov, high-ranking Russian diplomat

Peter Polshikov. /East2West Photo

The same day as Karlov's killing, Petr Polshikov, 56, was reportedly found dead from gunshot wounds in his Moscow home. Local media reported Polshikov's wife found him in their bedroom with a pillow over his head.

Underneath the pillow, police found Polshikov with a head wound. The circumstances of the wound remain unclear. A spokesman from the Russian Foreign Ministry said Polshikov's death was likely an accident and had nothing to do with his official government duties.

December 26, 2017 - Oleg Erovinkin, Russian intelligence officer

Oleg Erovinkin (right) was allegedly an informant for MI6 agent Christopher Steele's (left) dossier detailing links between Donald Trump's campaign and Russian agents. /Daily Star Photo

Oleg Erovinkin, 61, was found dead sitting in his car on the streets of Moscow. While no cause of death was announced, local media sources reported that foul play was suspected.

He was a former general in the Russian law enforcement and intelligence agency known as the FSB. He also served as chief of staff to Igor Sechin, the president of state-owned oil giant Rosneft. Sechin enjoys a close relationship with Putin that dates back to the 1990s.

Because of Erovinkin's background, conspiracy theorists speculated that he was possibly an unnamed informant for MI6 spy Christopher Steele's 35-page dossier that detailed the connections between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russian agents. No evidence has emerged to firmly substantiate those claims.

January 9, 2017 - Andrey Malanin, head of consular affairs at Russia's embassy in Greece

Andrey Malanin, 55 was found dead in Athens. Initial signs suggested Malanin died of natural causes, but police said they were investigating the death.

Greek media said Mr Malanin had failed to report for work for a few days and did not answer his phone. He lived alone on a heavily guarded street. Police entered his apartment on January 9 and found him dead on his bedroom floor.

January 26, 2017 - Alexander Kadakin, Russian ambassador to India

Alexander Kadakin. /AFP Photo

Alexander Kadakin died from heart failure at a hospital in New Delhi. A spokeswoman for the Russian embassy in New Delhi said that Kadakin died after a short illness and that there was nothing "special or extraordinary" about the circumstances that led to his death.

Kadakin had worked in India since 2009. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described him as "a great friend of India" who worked hard to strengthen relations between the two countries.

February 20, 2017 - Vitaly Churkin, Russian ambassador to the United Nations

Vitaly Churkin. /AFP Photo

Vitaly Churkin died of an apparent heart attack in New York City on the eve of his 65th birthday. He was "in his office fulfilling his duties" when he died, according to a statement from the Russian mission at the UN.

The then US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, tweeted that she was "devastated" and described Churkin as a "diplomatic maestro" who did all he could to bridge US-Russia differences.

On February 21, 2017 the New York City Medical Examiner's Office released the preliminary results of an autopsy performed on Churkin, which states that the cause of death needed further study, which often indicates the need for toxicology tests, according to an AP report.

March 23, 2017 - Denis Voronenkov, Russian politician

Denis Voronenkov and his wife Maria Maksakova visit a movie theater in Kiev, Ukraine, Feb. 27, 2017. /AP Photo

Denis Voronenkov, 45, was gunned down outside a hotel in Kiev. Voronenkov and his wife Maria Maksakova were known Putin-bashers. They left Russia for Ukraine in October, 2016 and became quite vocal in their attacks against the Russian president.

Voronenkov also helped Ukraine in its ongoing sturggle against Russian influence, testifying in a treason trial against ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was perceived as a puppet politician for Putin.

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko called the shooting a "Russian state terrorist act". Russia called the allegations “absurd”.

Other incidents

Nikolai Gorokhov. /Reuters Photo

In addition to these deaths, a private Russian lawyer probing high-profile corruption scandals reportedly fell from the fourth floor of his Moscow apartment in March this year. Nikolai Gorokhov, 53, suffered "severe head injuries" in the accident which occurred while movers lifted a bathtub to his apartment.

Police deny any evidence of foul play. Gorokhov represented Sergei Magnitsky, a fellow Russian lawyer who exposed Russia's largest ever tax fraud - and was later jailed and beaten to death in a Moscow detention center. Gorokhov continued his client's fight.

Mikhail Lesin. /AFP Photo

Meanwhile, a UK inquiry found in 2016 that spy-turned-MI6-informant Alexander Litvinenko had been poisoned by two Russians acting on the Kremlin's orders, The Telegraph reported.

In addition, some US intelligence and law enforcement officials reportedly now believe Mikhail Lesin, former communications minister and aide to Vladimir Putin, was murdered on the eve of an interview with the department of justice in 2015, according to the UK-based daily.