Russian defence official dies after falling from St. Petersburg tower window

Marina Yankina, 58, was head of finance for Russia's Western Military District, one of the arms of the Russian armed forces that have faced the heaviest losses in the Ukraine war.

A top Russian defence official has been found dead after apparently falling from the 16th floor of a high-rise apartment in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Russian media outlets reported.

At around 8 a.m., the body of a woman was found by police on the sidewalk in front of a tower block in the Kalininsky district. The woman was identified as Marina Yankina, 58, head of finance and procurement for the Russian Defence Ministry’s Western Military District, one of five arms of the Russian armed forces.

Located in western Russia, the Western Military District has suffered some of the heaviest losses in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Yankina’s death has been preliminarily ruled a suicide by Russia’s Investigative Committee, according to Fontanka, a local paper in St. Petersburg.

National paper Kommersant reported that some of Yankina’s documents and belongings were found on the common balcony on the 16th floor of the apartment building. It is presumed this is where she fell.

According to Russian Telegram channel Mash, Yankina allegedly called her ex-husband, who lived in the building, minutes before her death to tell him that she was going to jump and that he should call the police. The report also claims Yankina had health issues.

Yankina’s death comes almost one year to the day after she criticized the U.S. and U.K. for insinuating that Russia would invade Ukraine, according to an advisor to Ukraine’s Internal Ministry. In a video posted to Twitter, Yankina told a broadcast news outlet that strategists in Washington and London were playing a “scary, strange, wild” political game and demanded apologies.

Just over a week later, Russia invaded Ukraine.