Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 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

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×