
The body of the 35-year-old diplomat was found on the morning of October 19; he apparently fell from an upper floor of the Russian embassy building in the German capital, though it was unclear why he fell or what the cause of death was, Der Spiegel reported.
The Russian embassy did not agree to an autopsy of the diplomat, and the his diplomatic immunity meant that Germany’s public prosecutor could not carry out an investigation, Der Spiegel reported Friday.
Russian and German officials acknowledged the death of the diplomat on Friday following the Der Spiegel report.
“A tragic accident with a Russian diplomat occurred on October 19, 2021,” the Russian embassy said in a statement. “All the formalities related to sending the diplomat’s body to his homeland were promptly settled with the competent law enforcement and medical authorities of Germany in accordance with the current practice.”
“We consider the speculation that appeared in a number of Western media in the context of this tragic incident to be absolutely incorrect.”
A spokeswoman at the German foreign ministry told CNN the government was aware of the death of the diplomat, but due to “reasons of personal protection of the persons concerned and their relatives, no further details will be disclosed at this moment.”