Russian exiled journalist Grigory Nekhoroshev has died in Riga, Latvia, at the age of 69, after reportedly eating poisonous mushrooms he collected in his yard. Friends and local media said he was found dead at home last Friday. Latvian authorities have not issued a formal statement on the circumstances, and an autopsy is expected to determine the exact cause of death. For now, there is no public evidence of anything beyond possible mushroom poisoning.
Nekhoroshev was best known as the former editor of Moscowskij Korrespondent, the Russian newspaper that in April 2008 published the explosive claim that Vladimir Putin planned to divorce his wife, Lyudmila, and marry Olympic rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva. Putin and Kabaeva denied the report, and the Kremlin reacted angrily. Putin himself attacked the story with a remark about people prying into private lives with a "runny nose and erotic fantasies." Soon after, the newspaper was shut down and its owner, Alexander Lebedev, suspended publication.
After the article, Nekhoroshev was reportedly questioned by Russian security services and, according to people close to him, received threats. He later left Russia and had lived in Riga since 2014 as a political refugee. Friends described him as an experienced mushroom picker, but also as nervous and constantly worried that he might be harmed. His death shocked fellow exiled Russian journalists, who called it unbelievable and described him as a legendary figure.
The case has drawn attention because Putin has long been linked, rightly or wrongly, to a series of enemies, critics, business figures, and journalists who died in unusual or unexplained circumstances. Even so, there is no official indication of foul play in Nekhoroshev’s death. What remains clear is that the man who exposed one of the Kremlin’s most sensitive rumors is now dead, and the final cause is still to be confirmed.
