Mystery as Russian oligarch found dead with wife & daughter in ‘axe attack’ days after another tycoon’s family killed
A RUSSIAN oligarch has been found dead alongside his wife and daughter just days after another tycoon's family were killed.
The bodies of Sergey Protosenya, 55, his wife Natalya, 53, and his 18-year-old daughter Maria were discovered at their luxury Spanish villa.
Investigators are trying to determine whether it was a murder-suicide or a staged hit on the wealthy businessman's family.
Protosenya, who boasted a fortune of over £333million, did not leave a suicide note before allegedly hanging himself in the courtyard.
Natalya and Maria had been hacked to death in their beds with an axe in the Lloret de Mar on Spain’s Costa Brava, according to reports.
Police found the gruesome scene after the couple's teenage son, who was in France at the time, raised concerns.
He is said to have contacted cops on Tuesday after being unable to get in touch with his family.
Officers checked on the villa and found Protosenya dead outside the home.
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The police then found the dead bodies of his wife and teen daughter in the house.
The Russian family were reportedly registered at their villa in Lloret de Mar but lived in France and visited the Spanish residence as their second home.
Protosenya graduated in Civil Engineering at Moscow University before rising through the ranks at natural gas company Novatek.
He held the position of Deputy Chairman on the Board of Directors for the firm for over seven years.
Cops are reportedly probing the hypothesis that Protosenya killed them both with an axe while they were sleeping.
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The force are thought to be trawling through surveillance camera footage of the millionaire's Spanish mansion.
But alleged inconsistencies at the crime scene and the coincidental death of two gas oligarchs and their families in a matter of days have raised suspicions.
Vladislav Avayev, 51, was found dead along with his wife Yelena, 47, and his 13-year-old daughter Maria at their home in Moscow.
Avayev was formerly the vice-president of Gazprombank, Russia's third-largest bank and one of the main channels for payments for Russian oil and gas.
It has been hit with sanctions by a number of western countries in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including by the UK last month.
In a bizarre twist of fate, their bodies were also discovered when their eldest child couldn't get in contact with her family.
Daughter Anastasia, 26, discovered the bodies inside their luxury apartment, along with a total of 13 different weapons.
Protosenya and his family seemingly led a picture-perfect lifestyle ad flaunted their luxurious travels on social media.
They enjoyed travelling the globe, playing golf and often shared images of their apparently idyllic life.
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Protosenya had no previous history of abuse, however, the police suspect the killings were gender-related and are investigating the case as femicide.
The police probe is ongoing.
