Overview

• Leontyev, 87, was found Saturday morning outside his west Moscow building after a fall of about 21 meters from a fifth or sixth floor.
• Police have opened an inquiry and confirmed they are examining three lines of inquiry: suicide, accident or third‑party involvement.
• The state‑aligned tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets suggested a suicide linked to health issues and his wife's recent hospitalization, offering no proof.
• Colleagues dispute the suicide narrative, and exiled journalist Andrey Malgin called the death strange, noting Leontyev’s knowledge of Communist Party finances.
• Authorities have not released autopsy results, and international outlets have added the case to a tally of more than 20 similar deaths since 2022, which the Kremlin denies are linked to state action.