Turkish prosecutors are investigating the death of a Russian diplomat who was found dead in his hotel room in İstanbul last week, the local NTV station reported.
Nikolai Kobrinets, 62, head of the Department for Pan-European Cooperation of the Russian Foreign Ministry, travelled to İstanbul on Thursday to attend a meeting of ambassadors from a number of countries.
He was discovered dead in his hotel bed in Taksim on Friday after colleagues raised concerns when he didn’t make a morning meeting, NTV said.
Initial reports suggest that Kobrinets died of a heart attack. His body was taken to a morgue to establish the exact cause of death.
The Russian Foreign Ministry’s press service confirmed Kobrinets’ death but provided no details as to what caused it.
An autopsy is due to be conducted, while police are also checking his hotel room for fingerprints and scrutinizing CCTV footage.
The investigation into the Kobrinets’ death is being carried out by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
A growing number of high-profile Russians have died under suspicious circumstances ever since President Vladimir Putin came to power.
The latest death took place in August when Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, died in a suspicious plane crash. His death came shortly after he orchestrated what was effectively a revolt against Russia’s government and therefore found suspicious by many.