My friend questioned the cause of death, a mysterious death of a 40 year old Russian billionaire! Previously sanctioned by the United States ICS | Holdings | United States

Recently, Anton Chelepanykov, a 40 year old Russian billionaire and founder of ICS Holdings, Russia's largest IT group, was found dead in his Moscow office, with the initial cause of death being cardiac arrest. However, people around him have doubts about this, which has also made Chelepanykov the latest Russian billionaire to die mysteriously.

The initial cause of death was cardiac arrest

Friends around me expressed disbelief

According to local media reports, on the evening of July 22nd, 40 year old Chelepanikov was found dead in an office in Moscow. At present, the situation on the night of his death is still unknown.

Investigators claimed that the initial cause of death was sudden cardiac arrest, but Chelepanykov's friend Vasily Polonsky said he did not believe this claim. Russian media reported that the exact cause of the entrepreneur's death has not yet been determined. Ukrainian Interior Advisor Grashchenko wrote on Twitter on the afternoon of the 22nd, "Another senior executive in Russia has mysteriously died."

Russian media and some "Telegraph" channels claim that the cause of his death may have been an accident that occurred during a stress relief treatment for Chelepanykov. This type of treatment involves inhaling xenon gas using an anesthesia mask, which is a non-toxic inert gas used as a potent relaxant. Some Moscow commercial clinics are providing this type of stress relief treatment.

According to reports, this treatment is very popular among the affluent population in Russia, with the main customers being celebrities and senior executives of companies. But in some cases, it may be fatal. A few years ago, Dmitry Konoplev, the general manager of the high-precision complex holding company under the Russian State Technology Group at the age of 45, died in a similar situation.

One of the most successful young entrepreneurs in Russia

Sanctioned due to close ties with Russian oligarchs and security agencies

Chelepanikov was born on May 7, 1983 in Moscow. His friend said that he has loved electronic games since childhood and joined a computer club at the age of 15. He has studied in the Department of Information Security at Moscow State University of Technology and Moscow State University of Civil Engineering.

In 2003, Chelepanikov founded an esports club called Virtus. In 2015, he co founded the esports company ESforce with the owner of NAVI Club, which has numerous esports teams, esports tournaments, and related media. At the same time, Russian oligarch Usmanov invested $100 million in Virtus Esports Club.

Subsequently, Chelepanikov became one of the long-term partners of the Russian oligarch Usmanov, with frequent business dealings. According to reports, Chelepanikov served as a board member at USM and mobile operator Megafon under Usmanov.

While developing his esports business, Chelyapunikov is also developing his own information security business. He founded Za Telecom in 2005, not only importing BlackBerry phones, but also responsible for developing information security systems required by government agencies. In 2015, he completed the acquisition of "MFI Soft" company and established the "Castle" group on this basis, while also engaged in software development in the fields of information security and "business investigation measures system".

In 2018, Chelepanikov established ICS Holdings and quickly developed it into Russia's largest diversified IT group. At present, the group has about 30 companies under its umbrella, including KNS Group, a manufacturer of data storage systems and servers, Castle and Kryptonite R&D companies, and 1440 Bureau, which is committed to creating low orbit satellite constellations.

Chelepanikov is known as one of the most successful young entrepreneurs in Russia and was nominated for the "Entrepreneur of the Year Award" by the Russian Business Consulting Daily in 2019 and 2020. In 2022, he ranked 22nd on Forbes' highest dividend income ranking for Russian entrepreneurs. Just a few weeks before his death, the analysis company Technologies of Trust determined that the investment value of ICS Holdings was as high as 300 billion rubles. It is reported that ICS Holdings Group is discussing its initial bond issuance in 2024 and may plan to go public through an IPO in the same year.

On February 25th of this year, Chelepanikov was officially sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for being the ultimate beneficial owner and manager of Castle Company. The US Treasury Department stated that "Castle" has developed a software called "Business Investigation Measures System" aimed at "stealing" financial and personal information from computer networks. In addition, the West has also linked ICS Group with Russian security agencies, claiming that the company helps Russian security agencies monitor online activities.

According to reports, ICS is one of the biggest beneficiaries of Russia's 2018 Yarovaya law. The bill allows telecom operators to keep all calls and short message recordings for six months and Internet traffic recordings for one month to disclose their users' private communications and data. According to regulations, SORM has become a mandatory system for Russian communication system operators, occupying up to 60% -80% of the market share.

Red Star News reporter Xu Xun