Russian space exec, 50, found dead in secret nuclear ‘closed city’ after working on mysterious ‘Big Eyes’ spy satellite
THE CHIEF accountant of a major Russian space satellite company has been found dead in a secret closed town in Siberia.
Evgeny Postrigan, 50, of Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems, with military links, died "from asphyxia" in Zheleznogorsk in Krasnoyarsk region.
His body was reportedly found by his wife in his garage the day after he had gone out, said reports citing law enforcement.
Reports claimed he took his own life but a preliminary criminal investigation is seeking to establish the full circumstances of his death, it is understood.
Locals have expressed surprise that a “nice and decent man” who “knew state secrets” would kill himself.
He was planning to celebrate his birthday this week.
Zheleznogorsk is a town closed to foreigners and others without permission to enter.
It was established by Kremlin dictator Stalin in 1950 to produce weapons-grade plutonium, but has multiple defence plants.
These include nuclear facilities built inside caverns excavated in a granite mountain on the northern edge of the city, as well as space research enterprises.
Postrigan’s company had been sanctioned over the war by the US, Switzerland, Japan and Ukraine.
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The satellite company was “vital to Russia’s defence capabilities” and was part of the country’s space agency.
US sanctions listings say the Reshetnev satellite company “supported Russian government space systems that the Russian military uses to perpetrate its war against Ukraine”.
Its researchers were developing a so-called Big Eyes means of “conducting space reconnaissance”.
The company was reported to be behind satellites that would broadcast Putin propaganda to invaded regions of Ukraine.
Russia has been hit by a spate of mysterious or untimely deaths since Vladimir Putin launched his war against Ukraine in February 2022.
Just a few days ago, a former Russian consul-general to Iran has been found dead in his home in Moscow.
According to reports, the body of senior diplomat Konstantin Alekseev was also discovered at home by his wife.
Aged 63, he had been based in Rasht for four years, a key hub for exports and imports between autocratic states Iran and Russia via nearby Caspian Sea port Bandar-e Anzali.
This month, Vladimir Lebedev, a Russian senator with close links to the Kremlin also died suddenly aged 60, after suffering a "heart attack".
No further details were given, but his colleagues described him as healthy and said that his death came as a “deep shock”.
Over the last few years, a significant portion of these mysterious deaths have come from top members of Russia's space programs.
In August of this year it was revealed that Vitaly Melnikov, from Moscow's leading spacecraft manufacturer, was killed by mushroom poisoning.
The source of his poisoning was inedible mushrooms, according to a “preliminary version”, reported Moskovsky Komsomolets.
Doctors were unable to save him after battling the “severe poisoning” for more than two weeks.
Yet, the circumstances surrounding his death have still not been confirmed.
Professor Melnikov's death came just after astronomer Mikhail Marov, 90, suffered a "sharp deterioration" in his health following the humiliating Russian moon crash.
The scientist had spoken of his "last hope" to see the spacecraft landing before being mysteriously rushed to the hospital.
Moscow's first moon mission in 50 years ended up in a disaster after the Luna-25 probe crashed into the lunar surface after spinning out of control.
The respected physicist and astronomer was devastated over the failed landing as he considered the mission the culmination of his life's work.
He described it as his "last hope to see the revival of our lunar programme.”
He said: “It’s sad that we didn’t manage to land the device.”
The unmanned spacecraft was smashed into pieces after it crashed on the surface of the moon.
Meanwhile, several Russian hypersonic missile scientists have been jailed under charges of high treason.
Among them is Professor Anatoly Gubanov, 66, the latest leading academic to be locked up and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
In June, Gubanov's colleague Valery Golubkin, 70, was also jailed for 12 years.
Russia has accused both men of sharing secrets with a NATO country.
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These cases are seen as evidence of Putin's increasing paranoia toward scientific cooperation with foreign countries.
Three hypersonic missile scientists based at an institute in Siberia are also currently on trial facing treason charges.
