A DEAD Russian diplomat and a missing oligarch in Cyprus have prompted talk of a Hollywood thriller-style plot on the island.
A high-ranking official was discovered dead inside the Russian Embassy complex in Nicosia just one day after Russian tycoon Vladislav Baumgertner disappeared from his home near a vital RAF base.
The two incidents come at a time of heightened tensions between Nicosia and the Kremlin.
Cypriot officials claim they have been the victim of an organised hybrid attack by Russia after the release of a video purportedly showing government corruption.
The Russian official’s death was indicated as suicide via hanging “through the bronchus” in an unofficial autopsy.
But uncertainty remains as to why local authorities were barred from entering the embassy and not allowed to carry out their own autopsy.
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The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations dictates that the host state must have the consent of the diplomatic mission in order to enter the premises.
It’s also understood that staff took several days to inform authorities of the death, according to a report by ANT1.
A suicide note was reportedly found near the body, but astonishingly it wasn’t handed over to Cypriot cops.
An “official autopsy” is expected to be carried out tomorrow.
The delay in notifying authorities, the refusal to allow access to the scene, and the missing note have all raised eyebrows.
Yet more intriguing is that it came just a day after the disappearance of former Uralkali CEO Baumgertner.
The fertiliser tycoon vanished from his luxury home in Limassol.
He was last seen leaving his residence wearing black shorts and a black T-shirt and was reported missing by an employee after he stopped answering calls.
Police later traced his last phone signal to a remote, steep coastal area near Pissouri, a rugged stretch of cliffs between Limassol and Paphos.
A major search was launched involving police, civil defence teams, volunteers, helicopters and drones — but the operation was halted by severe weather, with searches due to resume when conditions improve.
It is unclear if there is any connection between the two mysterious cases of the dead diplomat and the missing tycoon.
He was once one of Russia’s most influential corporate figures, serving as CEO of Uralkali and chairman of the Belarusian Potash Company.
In 2013, he was dramatically arrested in Belarus amid a vicious corporate and political feud that spiralled into a diplomatic crisis between Minsk and Moscow — a standoff that reportedly required Vladimir Putin’s personal intervention with Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko.
Though later released, the episode left deep scars — and powerful enemies, and was a rare moment of strained relations between Putin and his closest ally Lukashenko.
Baumgertner later returned to senior roles in Russian business and has lived in Cyprus since around 2017, according to people familiar with his movements.
A former Soviet source who lived near the tycoon in Cyprus posted: “Baumgertner has gone missing.
“[He is the] guy who Lukashenko once took hostage when they were dividing up the potash market before the first Ukrainian war.
“For about ten years nothing was heard of him – he lay low – but apparently they got to him here as well.
“Since the morning, helicopters have been flying around, searching for a body.”
However, there is so far no official confirmation of what has happened to Baumgertner.”
The double mystery comes as a video appearing to show top Cypriot politicians describing ways to bypass campaign spending caps has circulated online.
Nicosia claims it was part of a “hybrid” attack aimed at harming “the image of the country”.
Cyprus recently assumed the rotating presidency of the EU council, with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky visiting Cypriot president Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday.
Zelensky expressed hope for “a lot of steps forward” during Nicosia’s presidential term.
Christodoulides added: “It seems that we have a lot of developments, a lot of positive developments
“I am looking forward to our discussion to briefing us on the latest developments and what we can do as a Presidency of the Council of the European Union to support the US and for the international efforts for a peace deal.”
Zelensky also thanked Cyprus for the “the humanitarian support especially during this war, during Russia’s attack.”