After cabinet minister and oil tycoon Badalov, now Putin's former classmate and Russia's top judge dies mysteriously
, the first woman to be
Chief Justice of Russia
and a former classmate of President
Vladimir Putin
, died at the age of 71. The official cause of her death was illness, and it is the most recent in a string of high-profile strange deaths among Russian elites. People are starting to wonder about the timing and circumstances.
Podnosova once claimed that during their time in college, women weren't interested in Putin. Just 15 months after becoming the head of Russia's highest court, the top judge passed away today.
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According to Russian media, Podnosova passed away in Moscow after being named Chief Justice of Russia's Supreme Court in April 2024 on Vladimir Putin's recommendation.
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She became the first woman to hold the role after longtime chief Vyacheslav Lebedev passed away.
Was Podnosova's death truly from illness?
According to sources, Podnosova passed away following a fight with cancer. The death of a Putin classmate who was appointed head of the Supreme Court just over a year ago is part of a string of high-ranking government official deaths in Russia, according to a report by Ukrainian Telegram channel Pravda Gerashchenko.
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"The precise cause of Podnosova's death is not yet known," the report continued. According to Russian propaganda "media," she passed away following a "serious illness." "People who knew too much about the secrets of the Kremlin elite continue to die in Russia," the channel said in its conclusion.
What was her connection to Putin?
In a 2001 interview, she described a younger Putin as socially awkward and preferring to stay on the sidelines.
At Leningrad State University, where they both attended the law faculty during the Soviet era, Podnosova had previously disclosed that women did not have a thing for Gawky Putin. When everyone wore masquerade costumes at the last New Year's Eve party, she remembers that only Putin left the party unattended, as per a report by The US Sun.
At the time, her honest account of Putin stood out, and it came back to light after her death, which made people even more curious. There isn't any hard evidence that her comments had anything to do with her death, but her background and career put her at the center of Russia's political machinery, which makes her death even more interesting.
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Who else has died mysteriously in Russia's elite circles?
The death of Podnosova comes after that of Andrey Badalov, a 62-year-old oil magnate who fell from the 17th floor of a penthouse in a posh Moscow skyscraper complex. After a letter purportedly written by Badalov was discovered, suicide was listed as the initial cause of death.
Badalov served as vice president of Transneft, the biggest oil pipeline operator in the world and a state-owned enterprise in Russia.
Roman Starovoit, 53, Putin's transport minister, also passed away this month from gunshot wounds on the day of his dismissal; his death was formally ruled a suicide.
Leading war official Marina Yankina was discovered dead in 2023 after falling 160 feet from a window on the 16th floor of a St. Petersburg building.
The chairman of Lukoil, the second-biggest oil company in Russia, Ravil Maganov, died in 2022 after jumping from a sixth-floor window at the prestigious Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow, as per a report by The US Sun.
As yet another well-known Russian official dies under unclear or mysterious circumstances, more and more questions arise. The growing list of elite deaths, whether by chance or on purpose, shows that there is unrest and secrecy behind Russia's political curtain.
FAQs
What was Irina
Podnosova's
role prior to her death?
She was appointed as the Chief Justice of Russia's Supreme Court in 2024.
Why do some people believe her death was suspicious?
It follows a pattern of unexplained
elite deaths in Russia
, which has sparked international concern.
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