With Putin Failing, Another Oligarch Dies of Tall Building Syndrome: ‘Falls Down Stairs’

If you are a very powerful and wealthy Russian, especially if you have aspirations of power or are aligned against some other powerful group, it’s best to stick to the ground floor. I ask you this. When was the last time a prominent American died falling down the stairs…

Oops. I’m not implying that Ivana Trump had the same issue. Others do…

My larger point is that we don’t have famous people die by falling down stairs here, nor do our rich and famous commit suicide by jumping off tall buildings. It seems to be a health problem that almost exclusively afflicts powerful Russians because another oligarch died earlier this month by… falling down the stairs. From Yahoo News:

Russian real estate tycoon Dmitry Zelenov passed away earlier this month after tumbling down a flight of stairs while visiting friends in the French Riviera, according to a local outlet and an independent Russian outlet.

Not to sound callous, but 50-year-olds aren’t really the type to have physical issues with stairs, and most are still spry enough to survive all but the worst. That’s the other thing, we never really hear about any of these oligarchs surviving these falls with lots of broken bones and in a hospital talking about it. The condition seems to be fatal in all circumstances.

The 50-year-old was the former owner of Russian developer Don-Stroy, which constructed the 61-story Triumph Palace Tower in Moscow, one of the tallest residential structures in Europe.

Zelenov is the latest in a long line of top figures in the Russian oil, gas, technology, and financial sectors to meet suspicious and untimely ends—the most recent being Anatoly Gerashchenko.

So why do we care? Because we know that there have been many reports of late about Putin’s failing health, From the Hindustan Times:

Russian president Vladimir Putin has reportedly slipped down five stairs and soiled himself at his official residence in Moscow, amid speculation about the 70-year-old’s declining health.

Hmmm.

 The Russian leader landed on his coccyx or tailbone during the fall, which caused him to “involuntarily defecate” due to the “cancer affecting his stomach and bowels”.

Putin has had that cancer for quite some time now. We have not seen him lose weight or have his hair fall out, indicative of any chemotherapy. Perhaps he has had radiation and surgical treatment. I don’t know. Our intelligence community likely knows or is actively trying to figure it out because all these deaths as “signature” killings (that is the assumption) look like groups jockeying for power. Or Putin smashing everyone he thinks might be up to something.

We can no longer assume that Putin is ordering all these deaths. Putin is weak, having led Russia into a needless and very bloody war, one that was supposed to take two weeks, infuriating Russians. If Putin himself were ever ripe for a coup, this would be the time. Perhaps Putin is ordering a lot of these murders to take care of leaders he sees as threats. Some may also know that Putin is dying (We do not) and are posturing for power.

We certainly have an interest in who wins. In the end, will Putin survive his cancer and continue to be one of the globe’s monsters, the man most likely to use nuclear weapons? He is young, only 70. Or is he terminal and trying to get as much done as he can while factions around him fight for secession? Will Russia fall into civil war upon Putin’s death?

All of these questions must be asked because, clearly, something is happening behind the scenes in Russia which thus impacts global security. There have been at least a dozen of these recently, not counting Ivana.