Secretive head of Russian newspaper mysteriously falls 70ft to his death: 'He knew a lot about...'

Vyacheslav Leontyev led Pravda — meaning “Truth” — when it was the official mouthpiece of the Communist Party. (Representational image)

Russian authorities are investigating the death of Vyacheslav Leontyev, the former head of Soviet-era newspaper Pravda, who fell from a window of his home in western Moscow on Saturday evening. He was 87.

Leontyev reportedly plunged 70ft from his apartment on Molodogvardeyskaya Street. Police are examining whether the fall was accidental, a suicide, or involved foul play. His death adds to a growing list of high-profile Russians who have died under mysterious circumstances — many after falling from windows, The Mirror reported.

Leontyev led Pravda — meaning “Truth” — when it was the official mouthpiece of the Communist Party and continued in senior roles after the USSR’s collapse in 1991. He was regarded as deeply knowledgeable about the Kremlin’s hidden financial networks.

Exiled journalist Andrey Malgin, who knew Leontyev personally, described the incident as suspicious. “The window falls continue. Leontyev fell from a window. He was found near his home,” Malgin wrote on social media. He added: “He gave the impression of a sort of underground millionaire. He also knew a lot about the ‘Party’s money’ — the Pravda publishing house was the most profitable enterprise in the CPSU Central Committee’s business empire.”

Pattern of mysterious deaths

Russia has witnessed a spate of unexplained deaths among business leaders and influential figures since the war in Ukraine began. Methods have ranged from exotic poisonings — such as tea laced with polonium or nerve agents on door handles — to close-range shootings. Increasingly, critics of President Vladimir Putin, turncoat spies, and journalists have met their end after “falling” from windows, The Mirror reported.