An autopsy has found that blunt force trauma to the head was the cause of death for a former aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin whose body was found in the hotel.
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According to the office of Washington DC’s chief medical examiner, Mr Lesin, whose body was found on 5 November 2015 at the city’s five-star Dupont Circle hotel, had also suffered extensive trauma to his neck, arms, legs and torso.
Many found his death mystifying, with questions and speculation surrounding the details of his visit to Washington, and rumors about his apparent falling out of favor with President Vladimir Putin and his powerful allies.
Until late 2014, he ran the media wing of the state’s energy giant, Gazprom, before stepping down or, more likely, being forced out.
The medical examiner did not clarify whether Lesin’s injuries were a result of an accident or an evidence of crime.
“We are waiting for Washington to give us the relevant information and official data about the investigation”, Zakharova wrote. In 1999, he was named Russian media minister and played a key role in Mr Putin’s first election campaign, after which he oversaw the Kremlin’s efforts to establish state control over Russia’s top private TV channel NTV, and helped tame other media.
On Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the United States had failed to provide “substantive information” on Lesin’s case to the Russian authorities.
Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said that the case is “very much an active investigation” and officials would release updates when they are available.
Known as a tough and ambitious political operator, Lesin broke the stranglehold of the oligarchs on Russian media and ushered in the era in which the Kremlin controlled all major television stations. Mr Lesin is thought to have been under scrutiny from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Department of Justice for alleged money laundering and corruption.
Lesin was a well-known political figure in Russian Federation, formerly serving as press minister to Putin. Kirby said he did not know why Lesin was in the country when he died. Lesin’s reasons for visiting D.C.in the fall are still unknown, reports The Washington Post.
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He allegedly amassed millions of dollars in assets in Europe and the United States while working for the government, including $28 million (25 million euros) in real estate in Los Angeles.
