In a perplexing incident this week, Aleksey Avramenko, a Belarusian Minister with strong ties to Vladimir Putin, died unexpectedly at age 47, as per the information obtained by Radar Online. Avramenko served under Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko as the Minister of Transport and Communications.
The circumstances surrounding Avramenko's sudden death on Tuesday remain elusive. His demise adds to the recent tally of Putin allies who have died under unexplained conditions.
Belarus' state-run news agency, Belta, acknowledged Avramenko's untimely passing but did not provide any details regarding the cause of his death.
Notably, Avramenko's death follows closely on the heels of several sanctions imposed on him. These sanctions relate to the illicit rerouting of a plane in 2021 that was carrying Roman Pratasevich, a journalist critical of the regime.
As reported earlier by RadarOnline.com, Avramenko's death echoes the puzzling passing of Vladimir Makei, the Belarusian foreign minister, in November. Makei had publicly criticized Putin's scheme to use Belarus as a launchpad for his continued campaign against Ukraine.
In the midst of these mysteries, more than 40 notable Russian figures, including oligarchs, politicians, and military leaders, have died under similarly unexplained circumstances since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Jon Sweet, a retired U.S. Army Military Intelligence Officer, told the Sun, "Anyone seen as a potential threat seems to have an attraction to an open window."
Meanwhile, there's growing apprehension over the safety of Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin's exiled mercenary leader, who sought refuge in Belarus following his unsuccessful coup against Moscow last month.
Despite Prigozhin's assertions that the rebellion wasn't meant "to overthrow Russia’s leadership" but to "avoid [the] destruction of Wagner," multiple sources have warned the 62-year-old Wagner leader of potential assassination risks.
British MP Tobias Ellwood, following Prigozhin's exile to Belarus, advised caution, stating, "If I was him, I would be very careful what I ate and where I went." Ellwood further added, "Putin mops up any dissenting voices himself – he will be plotting."
Ellwood continued, "What he did in the last few days didn't happen instantaneously. It has been building for months and months and months."