WEBVTT - A Double Suicide at Gazprom's Nest 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:05.200 Something strange is going on. Who is killing Russian billionaires? 0:00:05.400 --> 0:00:08.680 Another Russian oligarch has been found dead. Reports suggests that 0:00:08.720 --> 0:00:10.280 he hanged himself, fell out of. 0:00:10.320 --> 0:00:14.520 A window, slashed his wrists, was poisoned, murdered his whole family. 0:00:15.960 --> 0:00:18.840 Last year, more than a dozen Russian oligarchs died in 0:00:18.880 --> 0:00:22.239 the space of nine months. Many of the deaths are 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:27.120 suspicious with links to the Kremlin. This is sad Oligach, 0:00:27.440 --> 0:00:32.400 an investigation into these recently dead Russian billionaires. It's created 0:00:32.440 --> 0:00:37.520 by me jake Hanrahan and my colleague Sergei Slipchenkov. Sad 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:44.160 Oligarch is a h eleven production for Kulsomdia and iHeartRadio. 0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:54.720 One day after Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine in 0:00:54.960 --> 0:00:59.600 February twenty twenty two, Alexander t Yulokov hanged himself in 0:00:59.600 --> 0:01:03.400 the gary of his villa in Russia's Leningrad of Blast, 0:01:03.680 --> 0:01:09.639 specifically the village of Leninskoya. Tulukov was sixty one years old. 0:01:10.200 --> 0:01:14.040 According to multiple sources from Russian media, a suicide note 0:01:14.080 --> 0:01:16.639 was found next to the body, Its contents, though. 0:01:16.600 --> 0:01:18.200 Have yet to be revealed in full. 0:01:19.040 --> 0:01:24.440 Tulukov worked for Gazprom, a multinational energy corporation owned in 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:29.720 the majority by the Russian government. Tulukov was the deputy 0:01:29.840 --> 0:01:35.759 general director of Gazprom's Unified Settlement Center for Corporate Security, 0:01:36.360 --> 0:01:41.880 a serious role. Leninskoya, where he lived and died, has 0:01:41.920 --> 0:01:46.559 been nicknamed by locals as Gazprom's nest as so many 0:01:46.600 --> 0:01:51.720 Gazprom managers have houses there. Tulukov was wealthy, and his 0:01:51.880 --> 0:01:55.480 house in Leninskoya showed it. The Tulukov house was surrounded 0:01:55.480 --> 0:01:58.960 by beautiful conifer trees and set back in the woods, 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:02.360 a nice place to live. The minimum cost of an 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:05.760 average house in that area is upward of five hundred 0:02:05.880 --> 0:02:09.880 thousand dollars. Tulukov's corpse was found by a woman he 0:02:09.960 --> 0:02:13.480 lived with and her ex husband. It's unsure if the 0:02:13.520 --> 0:02:16.600 woman was his girlfriend or just rented a room at 0:02:16.639 --> 0:02:19.840 the house. Either way, the body was discovered hanged in 0:02:19.919 --> 0:02:22.359 a noose in the garage and the police were called. 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:26.160 The police arrived and got to work. Then a short 0:02:26.160 --> 0:02:32.399 time later, something strange happened. As police tended to the scene, 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:36.359 three black jeeps pulled up outside the house. Several men 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:41.320 got out. They belonged to Gazprom's private security. They immediately 0:02:41.360 --> 0:02:45.680 pushed out the police. Investigators cordoned off the area and 0:02:45.800 --> 0:02:52.280 seized the evidence. Independent Russian newspaper Navaya Gazetta, an adversarial 0:02:52.320 --> 0:02:56.040 outlet that's known for being critical of the Kremlin, interviewed 0:02:56.120 --> 0:02:59.520 people at the scene. They spoke to an employee of 0:02:59.560 --> 0:03:04.400 the Investigative Committee for the Leningrad Region. This person, who 0:03:04.440 --> 0:03:09.000 wished to remain anonymous, said the following quote, Everything that 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:14.560 concerns the village of Leninskoya is immediately reported to us. Personally, 0:03:14.720 --> 0:03:17.200 I saw a man in a noose with some piece 0:03:17.240 --> 0:03:20.200 of paper lying on the floor of the garage. Forensic 0:03:20.280 --> 0:03:25.000 specialists were already working when stronglooking guys arrived in three jeeps. 0:03:25.280 --> 0:03:28.919 They declared they were Gazprom's security service. They calledon off 0:03:28.960 --> 0:03:32.359 the territory and we and most of the policemen were 0:03:32.440 --> 0:03:35.880 simply sent away outside of the cordon of the house 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:39.760 ends quote Who were these people? How is it that 0:03:39.800 --> 0:03:43.720 Gazprom security was able to outrank the police. To get 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:47.680 an idea of how security worked at Gazprom, we looked 0:03:47.680 --> 0:03:52.120 at local job postings in Russia for security services in 0:03:52.160 --> 0:03:53.480 the Gazprom companies. 0:03:54.240 --> 0:03:59.360 Sergei explains, I couldn't find a specific company or like 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:03.160 a specific I guess I don't know, like section of 0:04:03.280 --> 0:04:07.240 Gasprom that specifically has security, like when they're when you're like, 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:10.680 here's a job offering for a security guard, uh, and 0:04:10.720 --> 0:04:14.920 it basically just says you're working for gas Prom, which 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:20.080 just means like the main security head of gas Prom. 0:04:20.240 --> 0:04:20.440 You know. 0:04:20.920 --> 0:04:24.000 There's no like separate entity or anything. It seems to 0:04:24.040 --> 0:04:27.880 be just like internal gas from security guards. And from 0:04:27.920 --> 0:04:31.120 my understanding that's basically who came kicked the police out. 0:04:31.279 --> 0:04:34.280 I don't know for sure, but going based off other 0:04:34.680 --> 0:04:37.960 uh kind of other situations and from what Anderson how 0:04:38.040 --> 0:04:40.920 Russia operates, my guess would be the cops kind of 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:44.240 understand that once gas Prom is there, it's kind of 0:04:44.279 --> 0:04:46.760 above their pay grade. I think they know that, like 0:04:47.160 --> 0:04:50.080 if gas from security is there, you know, very connected 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:53.440 to put into the Russian higher ups. I think they 0:04:53.480 --> 0:04:57.280 know kind of it's time to pack up and step 0:04:57.360 --> 0:05:00.480 out of the way. So anything related to curreny they 0:05:00.480 --> 0:05:02.880 always look for military service. 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:07.159 Currently, a company called Radu is doing the recruiting for 0:05:07.200 --> 0:05:11.200 Gazprom security. That's who's hiring from the job of a 0:05:11.320 --> 0:05:16.159 surgery was reading. Radu is a Russian private military contractor 0:05:16.680 --> 0:05:21.240 and security firm. It's even formed its own mercenary units 0:05:21.279 --> 0:05:26.520 sent out to fight against Ukraine through REDU. Gazprom itself 0:05:26.640 --> 0:05:30.960 also has a private military contractor unit taking part in 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:37.880 the Russian invasion of Ukraine right now. Recently, this unit 0:05:37.960 --> 0:05:43.000 released a video condemning another Russian private military contractor unit 0:05:43.200 --> 0:05:48.160 who they clash within an occupied area of Ukraine. So 0:05:48.440 --> 0:05:53.560 one Russian PMC is fighting with another Russian PMC whilst 0:05:53.720 --> 0:05:57.080 both are sent on the same mission by private Russian 0:05:57.120 --> 0:06:03.000 government linked firms to invade a foreign country. It's extremely messy, 0:06:03.400 --> 0:06:06.920 but as you can see, Gazprom is not just an 0:06:07.080 --> 0:06:11.200 energy company. Essentially, gaz Prom holds a lot more power 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:16.239 across Russia. Much more is at stake for its executives. 0:06:17.000 --> 0:06:21.600 To understand Gazprom's power and how Alexander T. Yolokov might 0:06:21.640 --> 0:06:24.120 have gotten on the wrong side of that, we need 0:06:24.160 --> 0:06:29.400 to look at where Gazprom came from. Gazprom's origins date 0:06:29.480 --> 0:06:32.760 back to the nineteen forties, when Russia was ruled by 0:06:32.800 --> 0:06:38.039 Stalin's Soviet Union the USSR. In nineteen forty three, in 0:06:38.080 --> 0:06:41.480 the midst of World War two, the USSR formed its 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:46.200 first domestic gas industry, was later centralized as the Ministry 0:06:46.240 --> 0:06:50.120 of Gas, which discovered large natural gas reserves in the 0:06:50.200 --> 0:06:54.640 nineteen seventies and eighties. This helped the USSR become a 0:06:54.720 --> 0:06:58.480 major player in the gas industry. By nineteen eighty three, 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:02.520 the USSR was the world's leading producer of natural gas. 0:07:03.279 --> 0:07:07.120 They exported the gas to many countries across Western Europe, 0:07:07.279 --> 0:07:10.920 something the USSI became dependent on to keep the country going, 0:07:11.600 --> 0:07:15.880 ironic considering that now its Western European countries that are 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:21.400 the most dependent on Russia's gas exports. By nineteen eighty nine, 0:07:21.600 --> 0:07:25.600 the Ministry of Gas was renamed as the State Gas 0:07:25.640 --> 0:07:29.800 Concern Gazprom. The name Gazprom is a mix of two 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:34.760 words in Russian that simply means gas industry. The renamed 0:07:34.760 --> 0:07:38.920 department was Gazprom in its infancy, as it became the 0:07:39.000 --> 0:07:45.119 ussa's first state run corporation. When the USSR collapsed in 0:07:45.240 --> 0:07:49.160 nineteen ninety one, most of Gazprom was transferred to state 0:07:49.240 --> 0:07:53.840 owned companies and the assets remained in Russia. Everyone involved 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:59.760 formed a total gas sector monopoly. Gasprom grew rapidly, extending 0:07:59.800 --> 0:08:05.240 its branches into many other industries, such as banking, media, security, 0:08:05.480 --> 0:08:11.200 and oil. This monopolized, major state owned energy company exporting 0:08:11.280 --> 0:08:16.640 internationally gave the Russian government big leverage. By two thousand 0:08:16.680 --> 0:08:19.960 and seven, the number of Gazprom's personnel was more than 0:08:20.000 --> 0:08:24.280 four hundred thousand people. It became the world's largest supplier 0:08:24.280 --> 0:08:28.280 of natural gas, with an estimated annual net profit of 0:08:28.360 --> 0:08:33.880 over nine billion dollars. By twenty twenty, Germany, Italy and 0:08:33.960 --> 0:08:38.439 the Netherlands were Gazprom's biggest customers outside of regions within 0:08:38.480 --> 0:08:39.880 the former Soviet Union. 0:08:40.480 --> 0:08:41.640 By twenty twenty. 0:08:41.400 --> 0:08:45.679 Two, Gazprom was sporadically shutting off gas to Western Europe 0:08:45.800 --> 0:08:49.880 as a threat to countries helping Ukraine resist Putin's invasion. 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:55.360 Putin allegedly owns four point five percent of Gazprom himself, 0:08:55.920 --> 0:08:59.600 adding to his hidden fortune which is speculated to be 0:08:59.720 --> 0:09:06.800 around round two hundred billion dollars. In twenty twenty twelve, 0:09:06.920 --> 0:09:11.319 the independent Russian news outlet, The Moscow Times compared Gazprom 0:09:11.440 --> 0:09:16.840 to an organized crime syndicate. They said, quote, Gazprom in 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:20.240 many ways is more important in advancing the Kremlin's foreign 0:09:20.240 --> 0:09:24.640 policy than the Defense Ministry or the Foreign Ministry. In short, 0:09:24.800 --> 0:09:28.160 the way Gazprom is run is an accurate model for 0:09:28.280 --> 0:09:32.640 how Putin rules Russia. Since two thousand and one, Gazprom's 0:09:32.679 --> 0:09:34.880 management has been dominated. 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:35.680 By three groups. 0:09:36.240 --> 0:09:40.840 The CEO's young Saint Petersburg economists, a group of Saint 0:09:40.920 --> 0:09:45.400 Petersburg KGB officers both closely linked to Putin, and the 0:09:45.480 --> 0:09:50.920 third group of old Gazprom officials. Putin himself has arbitrated 0:09:50.960 --> 0:09:54.240 between these three factions, preventing any one of them from 0:09:54.280 --> 0:09:58.679 gaining the upper hand, using a classic divide and rule strategy. 0:09:59.160 --> 0:10:03.440 Putin thus re obtains the ultimate responsibility for the company 0:10:04.080 --> 0:10:07.760 end quote. The KGB that's mentioned in that quote was, 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:14.800 of course, the Soviet Union's notoriously brutal security and intelligence agency. 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:19.000 The spiritual successor to that is the FSB, the current 0:10:19.080 --> 0:10:24.040 Russian security and intelligence agency. Many interchangeably refer to the 0:10:24.040 --> 0:10:29.320 current day FSB as the KGB. Clearly, it's no secret 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:34.560 that Gazprom has a sizeable FSB Putin loyalist presence within 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:39.480 the inner circles, specifically in Saint Petersburg. But was Alexander 0:10:39.559 --> 0:10:43.400 to Yolokov part of that It's possible turns out he 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:46.679 actually used to work for the FSB through the early nineties. 0:10:47.320 --> 0:10:51.360 Then in nineteen ninety nine he began working for Gazprom 0:10:51.840 --> 0:10:56.360 in where Saint Petersburg. A decade after that, in two 0:10:56.400 --> 0:11:01.280 thousand and nine, he became Gazprom's deputy general director and 0:11:01.320 --> 0:11:05.960 then deputy for Corporate Protection and personnel Management. I think 0:11:05.960 --> 0:11:08.800 it's safe to say it's not unlikely that to your 0:11:08.800 --> 0:11:13.200 Lokov at least had some proximity to this FSB circle 0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:18.520 within Gazprom. It's worth noting that largely the FSB is 0:11:18.559 --> 0:11:21.480 alleged to carry out any dirty work for the Kremlin, 0:11:21.960 --> 0:11:26.160 including extra judicial violence. But what has all this got 0:11:26.200 --> 0:11:30.160 to do with to your Lokov hanging himself in his garage. 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:44.760 There's more to this story. 0:11:51.600 --> 0:11:54.800 Reports in the media from an unnamed witness at the 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:58.319 scene say that to your Locov returned home bruised and 0:11:58.360 --> 0:12:02.000 beaten the day before he was found dead. He looked 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:05.520 as if someone had beaten him up. As we mentioned earlier, 0:12:05.640 --> 0:12:10.280 to yu Lookov was the deputy general director of Gazprom's 0:12:10.440 --> 0:12:16.120 Unified Settlement Center for Corporate security. Unified Settlement Center acts 0:12:16.120 --> 0:12:20.920 as the Gazprom Treasury. According to journalist Matthew Cooper. There 0:12:20.920 --> 0:12:24.079 were rumors in Russia that there were problems there. It's 0:12:24.120 --> 0:12:26.800 alleged that a hole was found in a twenty twenty 0:12:26.960 --> 0:12:32.480 one internal corporate audit, Cooper writes, quote, according to people 0:12:32.520 --> 0:12:36.360 in the know, most likely to Ulokov's structure failed to 0:12:36.400 --> 0:12:40.120 avoid sanctions losses which divided the life of a top 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:47.040 manager into before and after end quote. Still these are 0:12:47.160 --> 0:12:51.040 just rumors. What isn't rumor, though, is the removal of 0:12:51.120 --> 0:12:57.280 Alexander to Yulokov's photos from Gazprom files. When reporters from 0:12:57.320 --> 0:13:02.080 Neveya Gazetta requested images of ta your Lokov from Gazprom 0:13:02.120 --> 0:13:05.040 so that they could use it in their article, they'd 0:13:05.120 --> 0:13:12.559 all been removed. Russian journalist Maxim Leonov wrote about this, saying, quote, 0:13:12.800 --> 0:13:15.679 the central office of Gazprom said that they did not 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:20.200 have any information about an investigation into the death of 0:13:20.400 --> 0:13:24.000 Alexander to your Lookov. At the same time, we were 0:13:24.040 --> 0:13:28.080 not even able to obtain photographs of the deceased. One 0:13:28.120 --> 0:13:31.840 of the employees of the press service of Gazprom admitted 0:13:31.880 --> 0:13:35.120 that the photos of to your Lokov were removed from 0:13:35.160 --> 0:13:38.679 their sites in order to prevent the spread of rumors 0:13:38.720 --> 0:13:42.319 and to spare the nerves of the relatives and friends 0:13:42.320 --> 0:13:44.480 of the victims end quote. 0:13:45.520 --> 0:13:46.360 This is odd. 0:13:47.000 --> 0:13:52.120 Why remove the photos and so quickly. Gazprom's reasoning is 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:54.680 that it could cause pain for the family if the 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:58.840 photos are left in the Gazprom files. I'd argue that 0:13:58.960 --> 0:14:01.640 it's a lot more pain for the family if a 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:06.120 company erases their loved ones from the records immediately after 0:14:06.200 --> 0:14:10.079 their suicide. This is what Gazprom did to Alexander to 0:14:10.160 --> 0:14:13.600 your Lookov, after he'd worked there in a very prestigious 0:14:13.640 --> 0:14:18.200 position for more than twenty years. They wiped him off 0:14:18.240 --> 0:14:21.560 the face of the planet as far as Gazprom is concerned. 0:14:22.320 --> 0:14:25.440 And not to mention the fact that Gazprom's security took 0:14:25.520 --> 0:14:29.120 over the scene and pushed out the police, and yet 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:32.840 they said that they were unaware of any investigation into 0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:37.280 Alexander to your Lokov's suicide. All of this, to me 0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:40.960 seems even more unusual when you consider that Alexander to 0:14:41.000 --> 0:14:44.760 your Lookov was not the first Gazprom suicide at the 0:14:44.800 --> 0:14:52.440 so called Gazprom nest last year. On January twenty ninth, 0:14:52.520 --> 0:14:56.960 twenty twenty two, Gazprom executive Leonid Shilman was found dead 0:14:57.000 --> 0:15:01.760 at his home with both wrists slashed. A suicide note 0:15:01.760 --> 0:15:04.960 was found next to his body. This occurred just twenty 0:15:05.000 --> 0:15:08.200 seven days before Alexander to Yulokov was found dead in 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:11.440 the same area just down the road, also with a 0:15:11.480 --> 0:15:15.520 suicide note next to his body. Reports are conflicting on 0:15:15.800 --> 0:15:18.520 who found him. Some say it was his ex wife 0:15:18.520 --> 0:15:22.000 and children, some say his girlfriend, and some say the 0:15:22.000 --> 0:15:25.640 police were first to turn up. Leonid Shilman was the 0:15:25.640 --> 0:15:31.120 head of transport services at the investment subsidiary of Gazprom. Shilman, 0:15:31.200 --> 0:15:33.840 who was sixty years old when he died, lived in 0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:36.880 an affluent gated community in the same area as to 0:15:36.920 --> 0:15:42.400 your Lookov. Both were residents at Gazprom's nest. Shilman was 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:45.960 found dead in his bathroom with his wrist ouoken. According 0:15:46.000 --> 0:15:49.000 to reports, utility knife was found by his side, as 0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:52.640 well as the suicide notes. We looked at the police 0:15:52.640 --> 0:15:57.080 photos from the scene. The bathroom has an all marble finish, 0:15:57.120 --> 0:15:58.280 with the bath to the right. 0:15:58.120 --> 0:15:58.760 Of the room. 0:15:59.080 --> 0:16:02.840 The bathtub is filled around half way with blood and water. 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:06.640 Shulman's corpse is lying face down on the floor beside 0:16:06.640 --> 0:16:09.520 the bath. Blood is smeared on the marble near his feet. 0:16:10.480 --> 0:16:14.160 Shulman has a metal Ilizarov apparatus around the lower half 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:17.800 of the right leg. This is an external fixator which 0:16:17.960 --> 0:16:22.160 stabilizes and holds broken bones into their correct position to 0:16:22.200 --> 0:16:26.640 help them heal. Shulman had a complicated bone fracture after 0:16:26.720 --> 0:16:30.720 a recent accident. The fixator on his leg appears to 0:16:30.760 --> 0:16:33.360 be broken, with loose parts on the floor next to 0:16:33.400 --> 0:16:37.080 Shulman's feet. Crutches are laid out on the floor across 0:16:37.080 --> 0:16:41.000 the room, next to where Shulman's head is positioned. Shulman's 0:16:41.000 --> 0:16:43.840 body appears to be laid out on top of towels 0:16:43.960 --> 0:16:48.200 or a blanket. What's not visible in the photo is 0:16:48.320 --> 0:16:52.000 the suicide note or the utility knife the Russian authorities 0:16:52.360 --> 0:16:56.280 say Shulman killed himself with. We do, though, have other 0:16:56.320 --> 0:16:59.960 police photos of the suicide note removed from the scene. 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:03.680 It was written in a notebook. Whether the photos of 0:17:03.720 --> 0:17:06.640 the bathroom scene were taken after the note was removed, 0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:08.919 or if it was out of shot, or if it 0:17:08.960 --> 0:17:13.280 wasn't even there, we don't know. The following is from 0:17:13.440 --> 0:17:18.359 Shulman's suicide notes, which was published in Russian media. Quote, 0:17:18.560 --> 0:17:21.240 I'm tired of having to deal with constant medical treatment. 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:24.040 I don't want to become an invalid or a burden. 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:29.000 Remember me as happy and cheerful. Yours, Lenya, Dad, thank 0:17:29.000 --> 0:17:30.360 you Sunshine for everything. 0:17:30.760 --> 0:17:31.160 PS. 0:17:31.200 --> 0:17:36.240 I love you all ends quote. Lenya is short for Leonide. 0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:39.239 There's more to the suicide note, but the rest has 0:17:39.320 --> 0:17:43.199 been blurred out, presumably by the Russian authorities before it 0:17:43.280 --> 0:17:47.920 was released publicly. According to this suicide note and Russian 0:17:47.960 --> 0:17:52.120 state media reports, Shilman killed himself due to the complications 0:17:52.240 --> 0:17:56.120 with his fractured right leg. Whilst we don't know if 0:17:56.119 --> 0:17:59.720 there were further unknown medical problems with it, the fractured 0:17:59.800 --> 0:18:03.240 leg alone seems an unusual reason to kill yourself as 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:06.879 a wealthy sixty year old. The elizard of apparatus he 0:18:06.920 --> 0:18:10.520 had installed is painful, sure, but this can be somewhat 0:18:10.520 --> 0:18:15.480 alleviated with medication. Shulman had money, he had access to 0:18:15.560 --> 0:18:18.840 premium health care. He would have, of course, had access 0:18:18.880 --> 0:18:23.760 to strong painkillers. Nevertheless, apparently he killed himself in the 0:18:23.840 --> 0:18:27.400 bath by slitting both his wrists with a utility knife 0:18:27.840 --> 0:18:30.720 also known as a Stanley knife or a box cutter. 0:18:31.440 --> 0:18:34.960 Shulman then, perhaps in a bid to try and save himself, 0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:38.639 climbed out of the bath before falling flat and dying 0:18:38.720 --> 0:18:42.240 on the tiles. That's what the official story and the 0:18:42.280 --> 0:18:46.720 police crime scene photos suggest. Anyway, as is with many 0:18:46.760 --> 0:18:50.199 of these oligarch deaths, we've discovered that there's more to it. 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:55.560 Multiple Russian state backed media sources mentioned that there was 0:18:55.640 --> 0:19:00.639 an internal investigation into the finances of vehicles in the 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:03.800 department that Shulman headed at Gazprom. 0:19:04.119 --> 0:19:06.560 It seems like there was an investigation to why the 0:19:06.600 --> 0:19:09.679 company was bleeding money. There was like a reshuffling in 0:19:09.840 --> 0:19:12.600 I think twenty twenty or so, and it was kind 0:19:12.600 --> 0:19:15.040 of promised, as you know, we will change the structure, 0:19:15.040 --> 0:19:17.520 will change the higher ups, and the company is going 0:19:17.600 --> 0:19:20.120 to get more profits. But instead it kept on dropping. 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:23.680 Perhaps one of those reasons that was identified was corruption. Right, 0:19:24.160 --> 0:19:28.000 people are stealing money off, you know, the typical order 0:19:28.200 --> 0:19:31.280 or some kind of repair order parts and half of 0:19:31.320 --> 0:19:34.160 those parts aren't actually purchased, half of the money is pocketed. 0:19:34.720 --> 0:19:37.200 It seems like Shuliman he was somewhere higher up in 0:19:37.240 --> 0:19:39.520 the transport unit. He would have been the one responsible 0:19:39.520 --> 0:19:44.520 for ordering any kind of repairs, approving deliveries, orders. 0:19:44.480 --> 0:19:50.080 Surgery looked into an open source database online documenting these 0:19:50.320 --> 0:19:52.320 orders in Shulman's department. 0:19:52.640 --> 0:19:57.040 This one specifically is called jos Zakupac. Like gas prompts 0:19:57.200 --> 0:20:01.120 purchasing portal, I guess, they show which purchases are made, 0:20:01.840 --> 0:20:04.800 it shows when it was ordered, if it was repeated, 0:20:04.920 --> 0:20:06.399 and then it shows the total price. 0:20:06.840 --> 0:20:10.679 This is where evidence of corruption in Schulman's department is 0:20:10.760 --> 0:20:12.720 set out in black and white. 0:20:12.880 --> 0:20:15.919 On the order forms, two identical purchases were made for 0:20:16.320 --> 0:20:19.560 repairs two months from each other for one point two 0:20:19.600 --> 0:20:23.439 million rouble. So that's about fifteen thousand or sixteen thousand 0:20:23.520 --> 0:20:26.480 US dollars kind of a lot for only two months 0:20:26.480 --> 0:20:28.920 in between. Like, how many cars are you fixing? How 0:20:28.920 --> 0:20:32.200 many cars are actually like needing this maintenance? Right, Schulman 0:20:32.600 --> 0:20:35.560 would probably be the one that would like authorize this. 0:20:35.920 --> 0:20:38.359 Perhaps he can make the order himself. This kind of 0:20:38.400 --> 0:20:42.440 activity is pretty normal. You know, order something, skim half 0:20:42.440 --> 0:20:45.840 of it, and just report that the entire order was 0:20:45.880 --> 0:20:48.280 made and came but it doesn't exist. 0:20:48.440 --> 0:20:52.280 So he potentially took about fifteen grand back com out 0:20:52.320 --> 0:20:56.760 of that from doing absolutely nothing but faking some documents. 0:20:56.920 --> 0:20:59.080 Yeah, you know, just file a couple of extra reports, 0:20:59.119 --> 0:21:03.199 file a couple electus I don't know, maintenance ledgers, you know, 0:21:03.600 --> 0:21:06.919 say you fixed x many cars, say you get it 0:21:07.440 --> 0:21:10.639 a couple more tires or whatever, you know, make it 0:21:10.680 --> 0:21:13.520 look clean. It never actually happened, but I mean, who's 0:21:13.560 --> 0:21:16.359 gonna really prove at that point? Is probably what they thought. 0:21:17.240 --> 0:21:19.840 I don't think they expected to have that investigation started. 0:21:20.240 --> 0:21:22.879 From what I understand, the investigation was coming to a close. 0:21:23.560 --> 0:21:26.040 They never it was in like a private internal investigation, 0:21:26.160 --> 0:21:28.199 so not much details came out about it, but it 0:21:28.200 --> 0:21:32.200 seems like around the time they died, the investigation was 0:21:32.240 --> 0:21:37.280 coming to a close. Schulmann specifically was kind of aware 0:21:37.320 --> 0:21:40.080 that he would be identified as the guy stealing money, 0:21:40.119 --> 0:21:43.800 and maybe he offed himself. It's very possible that he 0:21:43.840 --> 0:21:46.080 might have been made an example, you know, if you 0:21:46.240 --> 0:21:50.439 steal from us is what happens. Mostly speculation, but the 0:21:50.640 --> 0:21:56.359 factor remains that it's pretty weird circumstances, same village. I 0:21:56.400 --> 0:21:59.080 don't know if they actually knew each other, but clearly 0:21:59.080 --> 0:22:02.240 they worked in the same structure, like same company structure, 0:22:02.280 --> 0:22:04.520 you know they I'm sure they knew of each other, 0:22:04.760 --> 0:22:41.200 especially when they lives on nearby. 0:22:25.960 --> 0:22:30.000 A pro Kremlin media outlet called the Moscow Post had 0:22:30.080 --> 0:22:33.520 a reporter on the ground in the region where Shulman died. 0:22:34.359 --> 0:22:37.960 They also speculate that he was stealing money from Gazprom 0:22:38.080 --> 0:22:41.240 through the fake orders. They back this up with some 0:22:41.440 --> 0:22:45.360 pretty convincing evidence, which if it's pro Kremlin media as 0:22:45.400 --> 0:22:48.680 this is, it can be sort of considered almost as 0:22:48.760 --> 0:22:53.960 a reworked press release from the state. This evidence shows 0:22:54.160 --> 0:22:58.560 purchase orders from Shulman's department for parts for cars that 0:22:58.640 --> 0:23:02.720 were purposely over christ Who did the extra money go to, 0:23:03.359 --> 0:23:08.639 as Surgery just explained, probably Shulman. The Moscow Post also 0:23:08.760 --> 0:23:14.919 shows that vehicles in Shulman's department were on paper excessively serviced. 0:23:15.400 --> 0:23:19.560 Services were also overpriced. Seeing as Shulman was in charge 0:23:19.600 --> 0:23:22.040 of all of this, he was quite likely the one 0:23:22.080 --> 0:23:26.040 that skimming off the top. This I think leads to 0:23:26.440 --> 0:23:31.880 three possible realities. One Shulman actually did kill himself due 0:23:31.920 --> 0:23:36.160 to the pain in his leg. Two, Shulman killed himself 0:23:36.200 --> 0:23:38.520 because he knew he might be going to prison after 0:23:38.600 --> 0:23:43.679 stealing from Gazprom. And three, Shulman was murdered due to 0:23:43.760 --> 0:23:48.320 his theft from Gazprom. Me and Surgery were speaking about 0:23:48.359 --> 0:23:54.080 this specifically with regards to Putin's close proximity to Gazprom 0:23:54.400 --> 0:23:58.520 and how he feels people engaged in corruption stealing right 0:23:58.720 --> 0:23:59.960 out of his pocket. 0:24:00.440 --> 0:24:05.360 Remember Putin talking about kind of selling Russia, and that's 0:24:05.359 --> 0:24:07.560 what he described Ukraine as, right in twenty fourteen. He 0:24:07.600 --> 0:24:11.239 says that like the politicians that did the whole revolution, well, 0:24:11.240 --> 0:24:14.080 according to him, it was like all orchestrated, right, he's saying, 0:24:14.200 --> 0:24:16.720 he calls that like selling out to the West, along 0:24:16.760 --> 0:24:19.400 the lines of if you're stealing from Russia, you're a trader, 0:24:19.600 --> 0:24:21.680 you're you're as bad as like those in the West, 0:24:21.880 --> 0:24:22.800 et cetera, et cetera. 0:24:22.960 --> 0:24:26.560 So I think that would be a view he holds. 0:24:26.800 --> 0:24:30.000 You know, although I don't think he sees it as 0:24:30.040 --> 0:24:32.080 stealing from Russia. I think he sees as stealing it 0:24:32.119 --> 0:24:34.520 from himself or kind of from his group. 0:24:34.760 --> 0:24:35.000 You know. 0:24:35.520 --> 0:24:40.200 It's like if you're going against the grain in his group, 0:24:40.440 --> 0:24:42.560 you're wrong. Like, he doesn't care if he's stealing from 0:24:42.600 --> 0:24:45.159 the Russian people, if he's taking money from you know, 0:24:45.200 --> 0:24:49.520 Gasprom whatever other state company, like. I don't think that 0:24:49.760 --> 0:24:52.800 phases him at all. It's when you do something that's 0:24:52.880 --> 0:24:56.679 kind of like I guess you think you did. You 0:24:56.760 --> 0:24:59.720 had one over Putin himself, and I think that extends 0:24:59.880 --> 0:25:02.480 just kind of culture, like it's embarrassing to him. And 0:25:02.560 --> 0:25:05.920 if you embarrass him, that's like that's more than enough. 0:25:06.200 --> 0:25:10.760 This is a very relevant theory. Remember, Putin allegedly owns 0:25:10.960 --> 0:25:16.120 four point five percent of Gazprom himself. Gazprom is massive. 0:25:16.520 --> 0:25:19.920 It holds around fifteen percent of all global gas reserves, 0:25:20.200 --> 0:25:24.160 has branched off into banking, media, and oil, and now 0:25:24.320 --> 0:25:30.160 even has its own paramilitary forces on the ground invading Ukraine. 0:25:30.240 --> 0:25:34.520 Earlier this year, Putin lauded Gazprom in a video address 0:25:34.720 --> 0:25:38.480 to the CEO. He said, quote, the whole of Russia 0:25:38.560 --> 0:25:42.440 is proud of Gazprom. Over the previous thirty years, global 0:25:42.440 --> 0:25:45.840 gas consumption has almost doubled, and in the next twenty years, 0:25:45.880 --> 0:25:49.600 according to expert estimates, it will add at least another 0:25:49.680 --> 0:25:55.159 twenty percent. Despite unfair competition direct attempts from the outside 0:25:55.200 --> 0:25:59.280 to hinder and restrain its development, Gazprom is moving forward, 0:25:59.560 --> 0:26:04.280 launching new projects end quote. It's clear Gazprom holds a 0:26:04.280 --> 0:26:09.080 special place in Putin's heart. If someone steals from Gazprom, 0:26:09.600 --> 0:26:13.760 they're quite literally stealing from part of his empire. Anyone 0:26:13.880 --> 0:26:18.480 working relatively high up at Gazprom will know this. Leonid 0:26:18.600 --> 0:26:21.879 Schumann would have known this. He took a risk and 0:26:22.000 --> 0:26:23.000 was likely found out. 0:26:23.359 --> 0:26:28.359 It's very possible that Leonid Schulmann just understood what it 0:26:28.480 --> 0:26:30.840 meant if he was found out and he was kind 0:26:30.880 --> 0:26:33.120 of like, you know what, fuck it, I'll do it myself. 0:26:33.480 --> 0:26:37.080 Very possible. You know, he got into this knowing what 0:26:37.200 --> 0:26:40.640 he's doing, who he's dealing with, and you know, there's 0:26:40.640 --> 0:26:43.040 so many other cases of falling out of windows even 0:26:43.080 --> 0:26:46.680 before all this. I think he knew what was coming. Probably, 0:26:47.080 --> 0:26:50.040 I think it's like an open secret that the way 0:26:50.119 --> 0:26:53.240 Russia's run. I think a lot of people in Russia 0:26:53.320 --> 0:26:56.840 understand that as well. But I think they still don't 0:26:56.880 --> 0:26:59.560