Editor-in-chief of Russian state newspaper Pravda died Wednesday of a ‘stroke’ during a business trip to the Khabarovsk territory in Russia’s far east

Vladimir Nikolayevich Sungorkin, 68, the latest Putin ally to expire in mysterious circumstances, was showing signs of suffocation when died

He was on business trip with colleagues from the pro-Kremlin newspaper when he fell unconscious, according to his deputy Leonid Zakharov who witnessed his passing

Three minutes after suggesting to his travelling companions that they should stop for lunch, Sungorkin began to suffocate and the group took him out for fresh air  

The group took him out for fresh air but nothing helped and he passed away

The doctor who initially examined him said he died of a stroke

The editor-in-chief of Russian state newspaper Pravda died Wednesday of a ‘stroke’ during a business trip to the Khabarovsk territory in Russia’s far east, the latest Putin ally to expire in mysterious circumstances.  
Witnesses said Vladimir Nikolayevich Sungorkin was reportedly showing signs of ‘suffocation’ when he died on Wednesday.
The 68-year-old, was travelling towards Khabarovsk with colleagues from the paper before heading back to Moscow, when he fell unconscious.
According to his colleague, Pravda Deputy Editor-In-Chief Leonid Zakharov who witnessed the death of his boss, “It happened absolutely suddenly, nothing foreshadowed.”
As they were driving through the village of Roshchino, on their way towards Khabarovsk, Sungorkin said: “Come on, guys, let’s find a beautiful place somewhere, have a bite, stop, have lunch.” Everyone willingly supported this, this idea. Three minutes later, Sungorkin began to suffocate and the group took him out for fresh air.   
He said that no one could save him and he sadly passed away, with the doctor who initially examined him concluding that he died of a stroke. 

Putin had praised the staunch pro-Kremlin media outlet Komosomolskaya Pravda in 2020 on the 95th anniversary of its first issue.
He wrote in a statement: ‘The legendary Komsomolka has traveled a long creative path over these years and has written brilliant unforgettable pages in the history of the Russian media.
 ‘It is crucial that the current staff of the newspaper pass on these traditions from generation to generation and strive to retain the newspaper’s flagship position in the Russia media market.’
Sungorkin’s colleagues wrote in an obituary that the journalist was a ‘symbol of new national journalism’ and had built the newspaper into a ‘mighty empire.’ 

He said that no one could save him and he sadly passed away, with the doctor who initially examined him concluding that he died of a stroke.
The 68-year-old is the latest in a long line of Russia’s oligarch class and close allies of Putin to die in ‘mysterious circumstances.’ 
Local Russian media outlets reported that Ivan Pechorin died most recently, after ‘falling from a boat’ in Vladivostok. 
Pechorin was aviation director for Russia’s Far East and Arctic Development Corporation. 

Local Russian media outlets reported that Ivan Pechorin died most recently, after ‘falling from a boat’ in Vladivostok.
And on February 25, the body of Alexander Tyulakov, a senior Gazprom financial and security official was found by his lover. 
It came after the death Leonid Shulman, who was head of transport at Gazprom Invest.
He was found three weeks earlier with stab wounds on his bathroom floor. 
Other allies who were found dead included Vladislav Avayev, 51, an ex-vice-president of Gazprombank and former Kremlin official and Sergey Protosenya.