The deputy editor of Vladimir Putin’s ‘favourite newspaper’ has been found dead at her home in mysterious circumstances.
Anna Tsareva, 35, worked for pro-Putin newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda and was found unresponsive at her home in Moscow this morning.
Her death comes just a year after her former boss also died in a suspicious manner following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Tsareva’s body was discovered by her father after he lost contact with her for a few days and went to check-up on her.
Initial reports say there was no indication of a break-in to her apartment nor any ‘signs of a violent death’.
It is known she had developed an unspecified acute respiratory viral infection, and had suffered a high fever for several days.
However, Shot media reported today that it is suspected she died of ‘acute heart failure’.
Tsareva was reported to be in charge of content on Komsomolskaya Pravda’s website, including stories about Putin’s war against Ukraine.
It is the biggest news website in Russia with 83.9 million readers in October 2023.
She had been deputy editor-in-chief for six years.
In September 2022, her boss Vladimir Sungorkin, 68, editor-in-chief and director general of Komsomolskaya Pravda, died of an apparent heart attack. But his death had been seen as suspicious after medics found signs of suffocation.
He is often included among a list of dozens of untimely or mysterious deaths since the start of Putin’s war.
Sungorkin was accused of ‘disseminating and legitimising aggressive anti-Ukraine and anti-Western propaganda of the Putin regime under direct Kremlin authority in one of Russia’s most popular media outlets.’
The commission stated: ‘The newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda has been described also by President Vladimir Putin as his favourite newspaper.’
Its editor ‘is therefore responsible for supporting actions and policies which undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine’.
Tsareva previously worked as deputy editor at then staunchly independent Echo Moscow radio station under highly-respected editor-in-chief Alexey Venediktov.
She also had a stint at state news agency TASS before joing KP- the largest newspaper in Russia.
This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
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Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
