Updated

Updated · WION · Jun 23

Exiled Russian Journalist Grigory Nekhoroshev Dies at 69 in Latvia After Eating Poisonous Mushrooms

Updated

Updated · WION · Jun 23

Exiled Russian Journalist Grigory Nekhoroshev Dies at 69 in Latvia After Eating Poisonous Mushrooms

Q: He feared Putin's assassins would find him in Latvia. Did they use a poison growing in his own yard?

There is no evidence that Grigory Nekhoroshev was assassinated with poison from his yard. The reported facts so far point to a likely accidental mushroom poisoning, though the case drew suspicion because of his history and fears. Nekhoroshev, a Russian journalist living in exile in Riga, reportedly died after eating wild mushrooms he had picked in his backyard. Reports identify them as poisonous “false honey mushrooms,” likely a species such as deadly galerina, which contains amatoxins capable of causing fatal liver and kidney failure. These mushrooms can easily be mistaken for edible honey mushrooms, and cooking does not make them safe. His friends said he had long feared being targeted by Putin’s agents in Latvia, and that fear was rooted in his role in publishing the 2008 report about Vladimir Putin’s alleged relationship with Alina Kabaeva. After that story, his newspaper was shut down and he faced threats. But suspicion is not proof. Available reporting says there was no hard evidence of foul play, and Latvian authorities were expected to examine the death, including through autopsy findings. No public evidence has emerged showing the mushrooms were planted, tampered with, or deliberately used as a murder weapon. So the answer is: he did fear assassins, and he did die after eating poisonous mushrooms from his own yard, but there is no verified evidence that anyone used those mushrooms to kill him.

3 articles · Updated · WION · Jun 23

Grigory Nekhoroshev, a 69-year-old exiled Russian journalist, died on June 19 in Riga after apparently eating false honey mushrooms he found in his backyard, according to friends cited by Latvian outlet Delfi.
Nekhoroshev had lived in Latvia for 11 years as a political refugee and was described by colleagues as active and healthy shortly before his death.
His prominence stemmed from a 2008 report as editor-in-chief of Moskovsky Korrespondent that alleged Vladimir Putin planned to leave his wife for gymnast Alina Kabaeva; the newspaper was later shut down and he was threatened by security officers.
Friends said Nekhoroshev feared a possible attack by Putin's assassins, though the report said there is no evidence of foul play in his death.
The case lands against a long record of suspicious deaths involving Putin critics and adversaries, including Anna Politkovskaya, Alexander Litvinenko, Boris Nemtsov and Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.