Grigory Nekhoroshev, a 69-year-old Russian journalist who first exposed Vladimir Putin's relationship with Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, has died in Riga, Latvia, from suspected mushroom poisoning. Nekhoroshev, who lived in exile as a political refugee for 11 years, reportedly ate mushrooms he found in his yard, despite being a mushroom aficionado. Friends described him as 'quite nervous' about potential attacks by Putin's assassins.
Background of the journalist
Nekhoroshev was editor-in-chief of the Russian newspaper Moskovsky Korrespondent, which in April 2008 reported that Putin planned to divorce his wife, Lyudmila Putina, and marry Kabaeva. The story led to the newspaper's closure by owner Alexander Lebedev, a former KGB spy. Nekhoroshev was interrogated by secret services and threatened, prompting him to initially flee abroad before returning.
Putin's response and relationship
Putin responded to the report by criticizing those who 'with their snotty noses and erotic fantasies prowl into others' lives.' Both Putin and Kabaeva denied the relationship, but it is now known to be accurate. Putin has never publicly acknowledged Kabaeva, now 43, or their two children, Ivan, 11, and Vladimir, seven.
Suspicious circumstances
While no hard evidence of foul play exists, Nekhoroshev's death adds to a long list of suspicious deaths of Putin's enemies. These include investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya (shot in 2006), ex-FSB operative Alexander Litvinenko (poisoned with polonium-210 in 2006), oligarch Boris Berezovsky (found hanged in 2013), opposition politician Boris Nemtsov (shot near the Kremlin in 2015), Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin (killed in a plane crash in 2023), and opposition leader Alexei Navalny (poisoned in prison in 2024). Most recently, artist Semyon Skrepetsky, known for portraying Putin as a dictator, was shot dead in Poland last week.
Reactions
Bozhena Rynska, a Russian journalist in Latvia, called Nekhoroshev's death 'incomprehensible.' Igors Vatoļins, who saw him shortly before his death, described him as 'a not-old, not-ill person, full of ideas and plans,' adding, 'Nekhoroshev was the first to reveal the name of Putin's common-law wife... Putin clearly did not forgive him for that.'
