Russia’s Chief Justice Irina Podnosova died on Tuesday at the age of 71 after battling cancer, becoming the latest high-profile death amongst the country’s elite since the Ukraine conflict began.
Podnosova, who was appointed to lead Russia’s Supreme Court in April 2024 on President Vladimir Putin’s recommendation, died in Moscow following what officials described as a “severe illness.” She was the first woman to hold the position and had continued working whilst undergoing cancer treatment, according to the business newspaper Kommersant.
The Supreme Court confirmed her death in a statement: “It is with deep regret that we inform you that Irina Leonidovna Podnosova, Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, passed away on July 22, 2025.”
Putin’s University Classmate
Podnosova shared a notable connection with President Putin—both graduated from Leningrad State University’s law faculty in 1975. In a 2001 interview, she recalled Putin’s university days, describing how women students did not fancy the future president.
“I well remember the last New Year [at university]—everyone dressed in masquerade costumes, and Volodya [Vladimir] came in a modest suit,” she said. “He commented: ‘This is Stierlitz’s outfit,'” referencing the legendary fictional spy.
She continued: “That New Year’s Eve, everyone paired off, and only Putin left the party alone… He didn’t dance at discos—he just stood by the wall talking quietly, we preferred more outgoing guys.”
Born in Pskov in 1953, Podnosova began her judicial career in 1990 and worked her way through Russia’s court system for more than 35 years. She served as Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 2020 before succeeding Vyacheslav Lebedev, who died in February 2024 after leading the court since 1989.
Ukrainian Commentary on Elite Deaths
Ukrainian Telegram channel Pravda Gerashchenko reported Podnosova’s death as part of what it called a continuing “series of deaths of high-ranking government officials” in Russia.
“The exact cause of Podnosova’s death is not yet known,” the channel stated. “Russian propaganda ‘media‘ report that she died after a ‘serious illness.'” The report concluded: “In Russia, people who knew too much about the secrets of the Kremlin elite continue to die.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the government as “shocked” by the death of another high-profile official this month—former Transport Minister Roman Starovoit, who was found dead from a gunshot wound hours after Putin dismissed him on 7 July.
Recent High-Profile Deaths
Podnosova’s death follows several other mysterious fatalities amongst Russia’s business and political elite:
Andrey Badalov, 62, vice president of state oil pipeline operator Transneft, died on 4 July after falling from the 17th floor of a luxury Moscow tower block where he lived in a penthouse. TASS reported that police found a farewell note and considered suicide the preliminary cause of death.
Transneft confirmed Badalov’s death came during a “difficult and stressful period” marked by Western sanctions. He had overseen the company’s digital transformation since his appointment in July 2021.
Roman Starovoit, 53, Russia’s Transport Minister, was found dead in his car with a gunshot wound on 7 July, the same day Putin fired him. The Investigative Committee said suicide was the “main theory” after his body was discovered in Odintsovo, a Moscow suburb.
Starovoit had previously served as governor of Kursk region and was reportedly under investigation for embezzlement of funds allocated for border defences. Russian media reported he shot himself with an award pistol given to him by the Interior Ministry in 2023.
Pattern Since 2022
The deaths continue a pattern that began after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022:
Marina Yankina, 58, a senior finance official at Russia’s Ministry of Defence, was found dead in February 2023 after falling 160 feet from a 16th-floor window in St Petersburg. She headed the financial support department for the Western Military District, which had suffered heavy losses in Ukraine.
Russian media reported that documents and belongings were found on the 16th-floor balcony. Yankina had previously criticised suggestions that Russia would invade Ukraine, calling such claims a “scary, strange, wild” political game.
Ravil Maganov, 67, chairman of oil giant Lukoil, died in September 2022 after falling from a sixth-floor window at Moscow’s elite Central Clinical Hospital. The incident occurred on the same morning Putin visited the hospital to pay respects to Mikhail Gorbachev.
Lukoil stated Maganov “passed away following a severe illness” without mentioning the fall. The company had been one of few Russian corporations to call for an end to the Ukraine conflict, expressing “sincere empathy for all victims.”
Official Responses
President Putin extended condolences to Podnosova’s family, stating: “I knew her for decades as a person of high principles and a professional of the highest class. She always worked effectively and efficiently and was an example of dedication and responsibility.”
Deputy Chief Justice Yuri Ivanenko will serve as acting chief justice, according to TASS. Podnosova had been working to address the court system’s excessive caseload, a concern Putin raised during their meetings.
The head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, praised Podnosova as “a worthy representative of the Law Faculty of Leningrad State University” who “proved herself to be an excellent lawyer, a competent and principled specialist.”
Continuing Investigations
Several of these deaths remain under investigation, though Russian authorities typically cite suicide or accidents as causes. The pattern has drawn international attention, with observers noting the frequency of falls from windows amongst the Russian elite.
Since 2022, at least ten high-ranking executives in Russia’s energy sector alone have died under mysterious circumstances, according to calculations by independent broadcaster Echo.
The deaths have created what some describe as a “chilling effect” amongst Russia’s political and business elite. One popular social media channel noted the atmosphere was “reminiscent of Soviet times when officials could suddenly disappear from public view.”
As investigations continue into several of these incidents, questions persist about whether the deaths represent a pattern of targeted eliminations or a series of tragic coincidences during a period of intense pressure on Russia’s ruling class.
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Javelins at St Pancras International, July 2020 – Photo by Chris McKenna, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
