Several Points Regarding the Death of Mikhail Lesin, Former Advisor to Vladimir Putin

On November 3, 2015, Mikhail Lesin was supposed to attend a large party in honor of a Russian billionaire and philanthropist at one of the luxury hotels in Washington, D.C.; however, he did not show up, and less than 48 hours later, on November 5, his battered body was discovered in his hotel room in the same city. Mikhail Lesin, a former media minister, Kremlin advisor, and key figure in controlling Russian media under Vladimir Putin, has raised numerous questions and suspicions regarding the motive and perpetrator of his murder, with the Washington police and FBI facing a wall of silence in their investigations. Even the Woodrow Wilson Center, which organized the dinner party on November 3, does not know exactly who invited Mikhail Lesin to the event. Some unconfirmed reports and speculations suggest that Mikhail Lesin provided confidential information about the Russian government to the U.S. during his stay in Washington and was even under the protection of U.S. law enforcement and security agencies for this reason. The Washington D.C. medical examiner's office released new information about the case on March 10, stating that Mr. Lesin was 'killed due to injuries from a severe blow to the head.' This autopsy report contradicts Russian media reports citing a family member who claimed he died of a heart attack. Five key points regarding Mikhail Lesin's death: Was Mikhail Lesin murdered? The police and medical examiner's statement indicates that 'the manner of death is undetermined.' According to their report, Mikhail Lesin was severely beaten not only on the head but also on the neck, around the chest and abdomen, and other body parts. There were no signs of physical struggle in the hotel room; however, according to a New York Times report citing an investigation official, security camera footage shows that Mr. Lesin appeared distressed when returning to the hotel. Why did the police initiate a criminal investigation? After Mikhail Lesin's death, the Washington police began a criminal investigation, but it was under the unit responsible for investigating natural deaths. The Washington Post also reported that this police unit is not responsible for examining criminal cases. In the latest statement from the Washington police department, a spokesperson told the Washington Post on March 10 that they are considering all other possibilities in their investigation. Why did the announcement of the autopsy results take so long? The Washington medical examiner states that in most cases, autopsy results are released within 90 days after death. In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, he said that Mikhail Lesin's autopsy is among the 10 percent of cases where investigations and results take more than 90 days due to the complexities of the death. Were U.S. government agencies investigating Mikhail Lesin? This remains unclear. In August 2014, an American senator requested the Department of Justice to investigate the possibility of money laundering by Mikhail Lesin for purchasing properties in California. However, neither the Department of Justice nor the FBI, which was referred to for these investigations, has confirmed conducting any investigations regarding Mr. Lesin. The senator's request for an investigation into Mikhail Lesin raised speculations that he had come to Washington to discuss his properties in California with the responsible authorities; nonetheless, strong rumors persist that the reason for Mikhail Lesin's trip to Washington was his contacts with U.S. security agencies, and consequently, the motive for his murder was to prevent the transfer of confidential information from the Russian government. What was Mikhail Lesin really doing in the U.S.? Mikhail Lesin resigned from the presidency of the powerful media group Gazprom-Media in December 2014, apparently due to personal issues. According to evidence from U.S. courts and Mr. Lesin's friends, he had been staying in California for some time before his resignation. His son, Anton Lesin, is a successful investor in Hollywood films. His daughter, Ekaterina, resides in the U.S. and has long worked for the RT news network, which the U.S. government considers a propaganda outlet for the Russian government. Documents from the California Supreme Court indicate that Mikhail Lesin entered the U.S. on a tourist visa; however, the reason for his presence in the U.S. at the time of his death remains ambiguous.