A journalist who targeted Russian officials and promised to reveal details of “gigantic corruption” was found dead near a highway over the weekend, but the circumstances of his death remain a mystery.
“It will be nearly impossible to determine whether there was foul play in Rybin's death or whether he died of heart disease as some Russian media outlets claim,” Rebekah Koffler, a strategic military intelligence analyst and author of “Putin's Playbook,” told Fox News. Digital.
Alexander Rybin, 39, was found near a highway about 130 miles from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, where he had spent time reporting on the Russian invasion. The official cause of death was that he died of “cardiomyopathy” after an autopsy, The Sun reported, citing Russian state media.
Some media outlets have described Rybin as a pro-Kremlin journalist, but in the final weeks of his life he had become highly critical of officials in the region. He blamed rampant corruption for the slow reconstruction of the city and the Donetsk region.
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In one of his latest reports, Rybin reported that Mariupol had “gigantic money” and “gigantic opportunities for corruption.”
Russian journalist Alexander Rybin, who was found dead this week on the side of a road outside the city of Mariupol. (East2West)
According to a translation by The Sun, Rybin explained that his “personal impression” – which he tried to emphasize was not an accusation of any kind – “is that there is gigantic corruption in Mariupol, which the Russian army occupied with great force.” fighting in the spring of 2022.”
“The year 2023, in my opinion, is in no way easier for the residents of Mariupol than what happened in 2022, unfortunately,” he said, promising to give more details about the corruption, this time broadcasting from a left-wing online platform . Rabkor, according to The Times of India.
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Koffler noted that “dozens of Russian journalists” ended up dead “under mysterious circumstances” after directly criticizing the Russian regime or Putin.
Russian and Chechen soldiers in a devastated neighborhood of Mariupol, near the Azovstal front. The battle between Russian/pro-Russian forces and Ukrainian defending forces led by the Azov battalion continues in the port city of Mariupol. (Photo by Maximilian Clarke/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) (Photo by Maximilian Clarke/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“What we also know for sure is that the–So-called 'wet affairs,' a term used for targeted assassinations, is a Russian intelligence trade used to eliminate opponents of the regime,” Koffler explained. “We also know that these agents are extremely skilled at making the death of his victims seem natural. “
“Whether Rybin was the victim of a targeted killing will probably remain a mystery,” he argued.
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Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, linked Rybin's death to her corruption allegations and tried to link her to Russian officials in the city.
The remains of a statue and other debris lie in front of the Azovstal steel mill, which was the last site in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol to fall to Russian forces in late May 2022. A Russian master plan for the city envisions restore the destroyed factory as an industrial park, but there is no sign that work has started. (AP Photo) (AP Photo)
Rybin's death followed the mysterious death of Zoya Konovalova, the editor-in-chief of the Kuban propaganda channel, who was found dead from suspected poisoning.
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Reports about Rybin's death emphasized the fact that his bank cards and valuables remained intact after his death. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Rostov region stated that the death did not show any signs of criminality.
