When Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin died suddenly in New York last month, he became the sixth Russian diplomat to die unexpectedly since November, the internet conspiracy theorists were left trying to spot a pattern in the death.
Churkin, 64, was rushed to hospital from his office on February 20, after suddenly becoming ill and it was initially reported that Churkin may have suffered a heart attack. But following an autopsy medical examiners said the death required further study.
According to the Independent, media company Axios note that not only is Churkin's death unexplained, but it is also remarkably similar to the deaths of Russia's Ambassador to India on January 27, the country's consul in Athens on January 9 and a Russian diplomat in New York on US election day on November 8.
The three other deaths were all also said to be due to heart attacks or the result of brief illnesses.
Two more diplomats died violent deaths in the same period: Russia's Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot dead in Ankara at a photography exhibition on December 19, and on the same day another diplomat, Petr Polshikov, was shot dead in his Moscow apartment.
Additionally, an ex-KGB chief, Oleg Erovinkin, who was suspected of helping a British spy draft a dossier on Donald Trump, was found dead in the back of his car on boxing day on December26.
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