Mikhail Lesin death: Russia demands details from US

Russian officials have criticised a lack of communication by US authorities over the death of Mikhail Lesin, a former aide to President Putin. They said they became aware of details of his injuries only when the medical examiner's report was released on Thursday.

Mikhail Lesin was a Kremlin aide from 2004 to 2009

 Mr Lesin, 57, was found dead in a US hotel four months ago. US coroners say he died of head injuries. Medical examiners say the exact circumstances of death are not clear. Russian media had reported his death as a suspected heart attack.  He was one of the most influential figures on the Russian media scene.

Who was Mikhail Lesin?

'Few facts'

The Russian embassy in Washington told the BBC that it became aware of the injuries sustained by Lesin only on Thursday, when the medical examiner's report was released.

Lesin's body was found in the central Dupont Circle Hotel

Press Secretary Yuri Melnik said Russia had made repeated requests for updates on the investigation but very few facts had been given.


Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no detailed information about the case had been provided to Moscow via the channels used for such cases. "In the light of these media reports we hope that we will receive the detailed information," he said.

Washington DC's chief medical examiner said Mr Lesin had, as well as head injuries, blunt force injuries to the neck, torso, arms and legs, without concluding how the injuries had been sustained.
Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said the case remained under investigation, the Washington Post reports.

He declined to say whether the post-mortem examination results meant a crime might have been committed. The New York Times reported that Mr Lesin's injuries were the result of "some sort of altercation" that happened before he returned to his hotel.

Bulldozer

A former Russian press minister and one-time head of the powerful Gazprom-Media Holding group, Mikhail Lesin was found dead on 5 November 2015 in the Dupont Circle Hotel.

It is unclear why he was in Washington but several family members were resident in the US and had business interests there. He worked as an aide to the presidency between 2004 and 2009 and was instrumental in the creation of Russia's state-funded international broadcaster RT (formerly known as Russia Today).

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Moscow says that for years Mr Lesin was the mastermind behind the Kremlin's wholesale takeover of the Russian media landscape after Vladimir Putin became president.