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Moscow: Andrey Botikov, one of the scientists behind Russia’s anti-Covid-19 vaccine ‘Sputnik V’, was strangled to death with a belt at his residence here. Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the murder. This information has been given in a news in the Russian media.
Russian news agency quoted the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation as saying that 47-year-old Botikov, who worked as a senior researcher at the Gamaleya National Research Center for Ecology and Mathematics, was found dead in his apartment on Thursday. had gone Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly awarded the ‘Order of Merit for the Fatherland’ award to Botikov in 2021 for his work on the Covid vaccine.
As per the report, Botikov was one of the 18 scientists who developed the ‘Sputnik V’ vaccine in 2020. The committee probing the case said in a statement on Telegram that it would be investigated as a case of murder. The report said that according to investigators, the 29-year-old strangled Botikov with a belt during an argument and fled. According to the Federal Investigation Agency, that suspect has been arrested.
Although official reports suggest that the death of the 47-year-old virologist was the result of a failed burglary, it is worth noting that this incident is part of a series of unexplained deaths among members of the Russian elite over the past year, including scientists and businessmen.
