Social Media Mocks Reports That Russian Official ‘Accidentally’ Shot Himself

The vice-governor of Russia’s Leningrad Region, Igor Petrov, was found dead in his dacha near the village of Yukki in the Vsevolozhsk district on Thursday. Russian mainstream media said law enforcement, having found no signs of a break-in or third-party involvement, said the 65-year-old had accidentally shot himself – while cleaning his weapon.

The regional authorities’ press service issued a “neutral” announcement of his death: “On June 19, at the age of 66, Igor Viktorovich Petrov, Vice-Governor of the Leningrad Region – Representative of the Governor in the Legislative Assembly of the Leningrad Region, died suddenly.”

However social media didn’t accept the official declaration:

The self-proclaimed “destroyer of worlds” Ragnarok Lobster said in a post on BlueSky: “My guess is there were no high windows in walking distance” – a reference to the large number of “out of favor” Russians who have fallen to their deaths from hotel windows or died under other suspicious circumstances since President Vladimir Putin came to power.

A cynical post was placed on Germany’s Mastodon social media website by “Paladin” who said: “What a tragedy. Thoughts and prayers for more accidents like this.”

Another BlueSky user, Remeor, commented: “In Russia it is normal to clean your gun with bullets in it,” to which Itz.bsky social added: “… and of course to check the action of the trigger while looking down the barrel. Very important step!”

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@suezw.bsky.social drew attention to the Wikipedia article: “Suspicious Russia-related deaths since 2022,”  calling for Petrov to be added to the list.

Without explicitly denigrating the “official” cause of Petrov’s death, the Moscow Times drew parallels between Petrov’s demise and the death of Pavel Izbrekht a businessman and member of the Chelyabinsk regional assembly in April. Izbrekht died, at the Tsarskaya Okhota shooting club while, again according to law enforcement, checking whether his Blazer bolt action rifle was unloaded – which an expert said was “practically impossible.”