Andrey Botikov
 Andrey Botikov  (virologist, COVID-19/Premature death) | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 1974 |
| Died | 2 March, 2023 (Age 48) |
Cause of death | strangulation |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Interests | • Sputnik V • Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology |
Russian Sputnik jab scientist "killed by intruder" in unclear circumstances in 2022. | |
Andrey Botikov was a Russian virologist.[1]
Career
Botikov had worked as a virologist at the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology since 2002[1], and was part of the team responsible for the national vaccine, one of 18 scientists who put the Sputnik V jab on the market in express time.
"Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has been actively involved in all studies related to the study of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, in the development of COVID-19 models in animals, and in the development of a vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19", said the Institute in a statement on his death.[1]
Death
In 2023, he was identified as the man who had been discovered strangled in his Moscow home on March 2.[2] Investigators found Botikov's body in his own apartment with traces of violence. There were abrasions and knife wounds on his body.[3] It was first reported that he had survived the attack.[2]
In a statement, the Investigative Committee of Russia's Moscow division said investigators had identified and located the assailant, 29-year-old Alexey Zmanovsky[3], "in the shortest possible time." Zmanovsky and his 18-year-old girlfriend were detained on the spot.[3] "During the interrogation, he admitted his guilt, he was charged," it added. "Previously, the defendant was prosecuted for committing a serious crime." The ICR said the criminal investigation was ongoing.[2]
Russian outlets reported that the real reason for the murder was a conflict over intimate services offered by the male escort Zmanovsky.[3]
Aleks Phillips from Newsweek reported the story, where the magazine between the lines implied it was part of the Western assassination campaign of prominent Russians after the Ukrainian war in 2022.[2]
Alexander Kagansky, another Sputnik researcher, died under suspicious circumstances in December 2020.
