Ukrainian Oligarch Found Dead In His UK Mansion

An investigation is underway after a Ukrainian oligarch was found dead in his British mansion earlier this week, police revealed Thursday.

Mikhail Watford, 66, was pronounced dead after authorities were called to his home in Surrey, just outside London, on Monday at about midday.

Authorities said the circumstances surrounding the tycoon’s death didn’t appear to be suspicious but they called it “unexplained.”

The father of three who made his fortune in oil and gas after the demise of the Soviet Union was found hanged in his garage, the Sun reported.

His associates and friends told the outlet that the timing of his death raised questions, especially following the attempted murder of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal on UK soil.

“His state of mind might have been affected by the situation in the Ukraine,” a family friend claimed. “The timing of his death and the invasion of Ukraine was surely not coincidental.”

Another unnamed associate said: “After all the other suspicious deaths of Russian nationals and associates in the UK, it is only natural there will be speculation about his death.”

Watford was born as Mikhail Tolstosheya in Ukraine, but changed his surname when he moved to the UK.

He lived in the Surrey mansion with his Estonian wife, Jane, after they moved from London, according to a 2015 Sunday Times profile.