A senior Russian official, reportedly linked financially to President Putin, was discovered dead on Tuesday night under unusual circumstances that raised questions about the nature of his death.

The body of a deputy director with the Russia Ministry of Energy, Konstantin Zavizenov, was found by his son inside a country house at the Istra district of Moscow, according to Newsweek.

The death of the 50-year-old official, who also served previously as a minister in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region of Ukraine, was ruled a suicide by law-enforcement officials, according to state-owned news agency RIA Novosti. Still, others have said publicly that they are doubtful that he took his own life.

“Konstantin Zavizenov, former Minister of Fuel, Energy & Coal Industry for occupied ‘Luhansk People’s Republic’ in Ukraine, assassinated in Moscow with a gunshot to the head,” a Ukrainian-born race car driver and political commentator, Igor Sushko, said in a post on X.

A pro-Kremlin news website, Lenta, alleges that Zavizenov had recently been caught by his wife having an affair and had been on a drinking binge for “a week and a half,” according to Newsweek. His son found a note and alcohol on a table before hearing a gunshot in the other room then discovering the body.

From 2010 to 2016, Zavizenov held the position of director of risk management at Inter RAO, a major energy holding company based at Moscow, according to Cheka-OGPU, an underground channel on the Telegram app known for its chronicles of Russian political figures.

Zavizenov’s tenure at the giant energy conglomerate was under the leadership of Boris Kovalchuk, who is the son of a billionaire oligarch with close ties to the Kremlin often referred to as Putin’s “personal banker,” Yuri Kovalchuk. 

He took on a controversial role when appointed the minister of fuel, energy, and coal industry for the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic. The ministry office was established in 2014 in the aftermath of Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution within the separatist region in eastern Ukraine. Zavizenov’s appointment underscored his involvement in the complex geopolitical landscape of the region, aligning him with pro-Russian separatist forces.

He was removed from the post in June 2023, but his time as minister had landed him on a list of individuals sanctioned by the European Union. He was included in the List of War Enablers created by the Anti-Corruption Foundation, founded by a prominent critic of President Putin, the late Alexei Navalny.