On Wednesday, a well-known Russian chef who had been a strong critic of Moscow’s war in Ukraine was found dead during a visit to the Serbian capital, according to multiple sources.
The death of Alexei Zimin, who was based in London for many years, marks the latest death of a Russian expatriate who was critical of the Kremlin’s war efforts.
According to a post on ZIMA’s Instagram, Jimin co-founded London’s ZIMA restaurant, is a senior contributor to numerous magazines, and has co-authored several books.
His body was discovered late Tuesday in a rented apartment in Belgrade, where he was promoting his latest book, “Anglomania,” investigators told AFP.
Prosecutors told CBS News affiliate network BBC News that the apartment was locked from the inside and that the death did not appear to be suspicious, but that an autopsy will be performed.
Jimin, who was born in Russia in 1971, opened several restaurants in Moscow before withdrawing after Russia occupied Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014.
rear Russia invaded Ukraine In February 2022, he posted anti-war messages and canceled his Saturday cooking show on a pro-Kremlin TV station.
“Throughout his wonderful life, Alexei achieved a lot. He was deputy editor of the magazine Afisha, founded Afisha Food, published in Afisha World, GQ, Gourmet. ” ZIMA said in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
“He hosted several cooking shows, wrote numerous books, and started several successful restaurants,” the paper said.
“For us, Alexei was not only a colleague, but also a friend and a close associate with whom we shared good, kind and sometimes sad experiences.”
In May 2022, Jimin told the BBC that his restaurant had become the target of abuse and arson threats after the Russian invasion.
“My partner thought about changing the name,” he said at the time.
Dozens of Vladimir Putin’s enemies have died mysteriously in Russia and Europe, said Matt Olsen, the Justice Department’s national security director. I said “60 minutes” He said he was concerned about the possibility of Russian influence extending to the United States.
Outside the United States, there have been incidents of falls from windows, poisonings, unsolved shootings, and other suspicious deaths. Olsen said there has been election interference, cyberattacks and activities that compromise critical infrastructure in the United States.
“I don’t think Putin is trying to hide his hand. I think quite the opposite,” Olsen said. “I think…they’re going after their critics, not just to get rid of them, but also to send a cruel and appalling message.”
