News emerging from Cyprus is sending ripples through Monaco’s sporting and business circles after reports that the body of Vladislav Baumgertner, a long-time associate of AS Monaco president Dmitri Rybolovlev, has been found on the island’s southern coast…
As reported by Monaco Matin, a body in an advanced state of decomposition was discovered last week near the village of Avdimou, in a remote coastal area under British sovereignty, triggering a joint investigation by the Limassol criminal police and British authorities. Forensic teams are now working to formally confirm the identity and establish the circumstances surrounding the death.
Baumgertner, former chief executive of Russian fertiliser giant Uralkali, was well known within the same business circles as Rybolovlev and former AS Monaco vice-president Oleg Petrov, although he never held an official role at the club. All three men previously occupied senior positions at Uralkali and later collaborated on several ventures, including the ill-fated Alevo battery technology project.
The businessman had reportedly been missing for nearly two weeks, prompting extensive search operations involving both Cypriot and British forces, which had so far proved unsuccessful.
Baumgertner became internationally known in 2013 after his arrest in Belarus on charges of abuse of power, a case that triggered a diplomatic crisis between Minsk and Moscow. He was later extradited to Russia and ultimately acquitted.
Cypriot authorities have not yet indicated whether the death is being treated as suspicious, though investigators have not ruled out any possibilities as forensic work continues.
