Putin ally mysteriously dies of 'heart failure' on Christmas Day after being sacked over Ukraine failures

Sadovenko has been widely seen as "keeper of secrets" in Russia's defence ministry and played a key part in the Ukraine invasion and the early stages of the war.

He was also sent to act as a trusted "gatekeeper" for former defence minister Sergei Shoigu.

The Russian politician was sacked from his job by Vladimir Putin in May 2024 as part of an overhaul of the defence ministry amid continued failure to make progress in Ukraine.

While he was forced out from his role, Sergei Shoigu was promoted to secretary of the Kremlin’s secretive security council.

There had no reports of Sadovenko being ill prior to his sudden death at the age of 56 on Christmas Day.

Russian media has shared few details about his death other than to say he died of "heart disease".

A number of former leading military and political figures have died in unusual, unexpected or unexplained circumstances in recent years.

Falling from a height, heart failure and suicide have all been given as reasons for deaths of prominent figures within Russia.

In the last week alone, Lt-Col Stanislav Orlov, known by the nickname 'Spaniard', was confirmed dead at the age of 44. The commander of a notorious battalion composed of football hooligans who served in Ukraine was found at his residence in occupied Crimea, with suspicion falling on Russian special services as the perpetrators.

Earlier in 2025, Lt-Col Buvaysar Saitiev, a 49-year-old former member of parliament under Putin and celebrated Olympic wrestling champion, died after falling from a window in Moscow.

The month of July brought further fatalities among Russian officialdom. Roman Starovoit, Putin's 53-year-old transport minister, was discovered dead mere hours following his dismissal from the post.

Authorities classified his death as suicide, yet the independent Russian outlet SOTA subsequently reported that "fresh traces of beatings were found" on his body.

On that same day, Andrey Korneichuk, a 42-year-old official, collapsed and died within the transport ministry building itself.

State media attributed his sudden death to possible acute heart failure, though the timing of two deaths at the same ministry raised questions.

Mikhail Rogachev, a 64-year-old former executive at the Yukos oil company, plummeted from his apartment on the tenth floor. Defence official Marina Yankina, aged 58, fell approximately 160 feet to her death in St Petersburg. And Russian senator Vladimir Lebedev, 60, also died abruptly in what was described only as a "terrible tragedy" without further explanation.