Yevgeny Safronov. Photo: social media
A 38-year-old Russian journalist has been found dead in the French commune of Meudon, in the suburbs of Paris, Le Figaro reported on Wednesday, citing a police source.
Le Figaro said the unnamed man fell from the window of his seventh-floor flat. Police reportedly found a chair placed by the window, as well as medication in a rubbish bin inside the apartment.
An investigation was underway, with suicide being considered as a possible explanation, according to Le Figaro, which said that he had likely been the subject of threats from the Russian authorities.
A neighbour of the deceased, who was reportedly in the flat at the time and spoke only Russian was said to be in a state of shock and was taken to hospital, according to Le Parisien.
Denis Balashov, an independent Russian journalist based in Paris, named the deceased as Yevgeny Safronov on Telegram on Wednesday. Safranov had moved abroad from Russia before the start of the full-scale invasion after the media outlet that he worked for was designated a “foreign agent” by Russian authorities, he said.
Balashov continued that Safronov relocated to Paris six months ago and was said to be suffering from depression as he struggled to re-restablish himself abroad. A week prior to his death, his phones, social media accounts, messaging apps and Russian government services account were hacked, Balashov said.
