At least five Russian businessmen have died by apparent suicide in just three months

Four of the dead men were associated with the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom or one of its subsidiaries. CNN’s calls to Gazprom have not been returned.A top executive at Gazprom was found dead in his cottage in the village of Leninsky near Leningrad on January 30, 2022, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti.RIA reported that a suicide note was found at the scene and that the investigators were investigating the death as a suicide. Russian national broadcaster RenTv has identified the man as Leonid Shulman, the head of transport at Gazprom Invest.Just a month after that, another top executive at Gazprom was found dead in the same village. Alexander Tyulakov was found dead in his garage on February 25, according to Novaya Gazeta, an independent Russian newspaper. Novaya Gazeta reported he died by suicide.Speaking to the Daily Mail, Protosenya’s son questioned the version of the events, suggesting instead his father was murdered.’He loved my mother and especially Maria my sister. She was his princess. He could never do anything to harm them. I don’t know what happened that night but I know that my dad did not hurt them,” said Fedor Protosenya, who was at the family home in France at the time of the incident.Catalan police in the province of Girona, where the town of Lloret de Mar is located, told CNN on Friday that “the hypothesis continues to be a domestic violence case despite the statements by the son.””The Catalan police have taken statements from the son. Other hypotheses have been ruled out. Also ruled out was a triple homicide,” the police’s press official told CNN.”That this was the work of the Russian mafia? Well, no,” the official added.Novatek, Protosenya’s former employer, said he was “a wonderful person and a wonderful family man.””Unfortunately, there have been speculations on this topic in the media, but we are convinced that these speculations are not related to reality. We hope that the law enforcement agencies of Spain will conduct a thorough and objective investigation and sort out what happened, ” the company said in a statement.How to get help: In the United States, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide also can provide contact information for crisis centers around the world.This story has been updated with the correct spelling of Mikhail Watford’s last name. CNN’s Zahid Mahmood and Al Goodman contributed reporting.