An employee of the Russian embassy in Cyprus, found dead in his office. On the same day, a Russian oligarch living on the island mysteriously disappeared
Russian Embassy, Photo: Sergei Supinsky / AFP / Profimedia Images
A high-ranking Russian official was found dead in the premises of the Russian embassy in Cyprus, an autopsy revealed that his death was not of natural causes, being “probably a suicide”, a Cypriot police source told AFP on Monday.
The body of the diplomatic employee was discovered last Thursday in his office and the Cypriot police were called by the embassy, but the agents were not allowed to enter the premises to investigate the site, local media reported.
The lifeless body of the Russian official, whose identity was not initially revealed, was handed over to police in the courtyard of the Russian embassy.
According to the Greek-language Cypriot daily Phileleftheros, the police were told only that the man was Russian and that he committed suicide and left a letter.
But the embassy did not present this letter to the Cypriot police, saying it had sent it to Moscow, according to the source cited by AFP.
Cypriot authorities “were apparently informed of the incident several hours late,” the paper reported.
Cyprus, a member country of the European Union, has been hosting a large Russian community for years, says AFP.
The Russian Embassy in Cyprus confirmed the death of its employee on Monday, indicating that it is trying to solve the problem of repatriating his body, reports Agerpres citing Gazeta.ru.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of our colleague, embassy employee AV Panov, on January 8, 2026. His death is a deeply personal tragedy for his family and friends,” said a post by the Russian Embassy in Nicosia on Telegram.
It is Aleksei Panov, Secretary III at the embassy in Cyprus, states the Russian investigative website Agentstvo, quoted by Agerpres.
The official cause of his death has not been disclosed. The Russian Foreign Ministry has not yet commented on the incident.
In connection with this incident, Agentstvo also reports that the death of the Russian diplomat occurred on the same day that the well-known Russian businessman Vladislav Baumgertner, who had been living for some time in Limassol, on the southern coast of Cyprus, “mysteriously” disappeared.
According to the Russian publication, Cypriot police on Thursday launched an investigation into the “mysterious” disappearance of Russian oligarch Vladislav Baumgertner, who has not been seen since January 7. The last time his phone signal was recorded in the coastal area with a steep slope, not far from the village of Pissouri near Limassol.
