Russian business mogul and former presidential candidate found dead in Moscow

The 67-year-old man was discovered in his residence and transported to a hospital, where he later died. While state media outlets, including RBK and RIA Novosti, have pointed toward suicide as the primary theory, an official investigation into the circumstances of his death is ongoing.

Dzhabrailov was a prominent figure in the Russian business world in the late 1990s. In 1997, he became a top manager of the Plaza Group, which managed major Moscow assets including the Okhotny Ryad and Smolensky Passage shopping centers, as well as the Rossiya Hotel.

In January 2000, he ran as a candidate in the Russian presidential election — the first won by Vladimir Putin. Dzhabrailov finished in last place with 0.1% of the vote. He later served as a representative of the Chechen Republic in the Federation Council (the upper house of the Russian parliament) from 2004 to 2009.

A series of high-profile incidents

The death of Dzhabrailov follows a string of similar fatalities among former high-ranking Russian officials.

In July 2025, Roman Starovoyt, former Russian Minister of Transport and ex-governor of Kursk Oblast, was also found dead in a vehicle with a gunshot wound. His death was also later classified as suicide.