London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

Another Putin critic dead, after falling out of a hotel window. This time in India.

Another Putin critic 'falls out a window' to his death: Sausage tycoon plummets from luxury hotel - two days after his male friend died of a 'heart attack' on their trip to India
Russia's 'highest-earning elected politician' who had criticised Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine has been found dead after a mysterious fall from a hotel in India.

Sausage multi-millionaire Pavel Antov, from the main pro-Putin party United Russia, had been on a trip to celebrate his upcoming 66th birthday.

A male friend in his party had died 'from a heart attack' on Thursday last week, and the wealthy politician perished two days later.

The married tycoon, an MP in the legislative assembly of the Vladimir region, was listed as Russia's highest-earning elected official in 2019.

The Russian Consul General in Kolkata Alexei Idamkin told TASS he 'fell' out of a hotel window in Rayagada, Odisha state.

'We are closely following the investigation and receiving all the information from the Odisha police,' the diplomat said.

In June, Antov criticised the war and air strikes on Kyiv as Russian 'terror' wounding Ukrainian civilians.

He highlighted a Russian missile strike and said: 'A girl has been pulled out from under the rubble, the girl's father appears to have died.

'The mother is trying to be pulled out with a crane - she is trapped under a slab. To tell the truth, it is extremely difficult to call this anything other than terror.'

He evidently then swiftly came under intense pressure after which he withdrew the comment and made a grovelling apology.

He made an about-turn and claimed his post on social media had been 'an unfortunate misunderstanding' and a 'technical error'.

He insisted he had 'always supported the president' and 'sincerely' backed the goals of Putin's military operation - but local journalists strongly disputed this.

Indian media reports say the Russian meat mogul 'jumped' from the roof of the hotel and was found in a pool of blood.

His Indian guide rushed him to hospital but he was declared dead by a doctor.

The MP's friend was named as Vladimir Budanov, 61, also Russian, and there were two other unidentified men in the group.

Diplomat Mr Idamkin said: 'There was a tour group of four staying at a hotel in Rayagada.

'Last Thursday, a Russian man called Vladimir B. died. According to the police, the cause of this was a heart attack.

'On Saturday, a second Russian, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Vladimir Region, Pavel Antov, fell out of the window.'

Russian media outlet SHOT said Indian police 'do not rule out the possibility that Pavel Antov may have become depressed over his friend's death and committed suicide'.

Antov's death at three-star Sai International Hotel was confirmed by the vice-speaker of the Vladimir legislative assembly Vladislav Kartukhin

Antov is survived by his wife and daughter.

In 2019 his declared annual earnings were listed as £130million in an analysis by Forbes Russia.

This led to him being labelled the country's wealthiest lawmaker by earnings.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
×