Mystery Over Russian Colonel Found Shot Dead in Office

Conflicting reports have emerged after a top Russian officer, who was reportedly heavily involved with President Vladimir Putin's mobilization efforts, was found shot dead in his office.

Vadim Boyko, deputy director of the Vladivostok Pacific Naval College, was reportedly found dead on Wednesday morning after five gunshots were heard inside his office.

Local media outlets including newspaper Dalnevostochnye Vedomosti reported that his death was classed as suicide. Local journalist Vladimir Oshchenko, the editor of the Public Television of Primorye, also reported Boyko's death as suicide.

Dalnevostochnye Vedomosti claimed that Boyko "shot himself in the temple."

Oshchenko cited the press service of the navy college and other sources as saying that the colonel's death was suicide.

Meanwhile, the Baza Telegram channel reported that five gunshots were heard from Boyko's office. The channel cites unnamed colleagues as saying that he was found with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest.

An officer who was allegedly on duty at the time of the shooting heard gunshots, ran toward Boyko's office, and found the officer's body, as well as five shell casings and four Makarov pistols.

"It turns out that the colonel shot himself in the chest five times," the Baza Telegram channel wrote, noting that no suicide note was found at the scene.

Regional authorities and law enforcement officials have yet to comment on the reports of Boyko's death.

According to Baza, Boyko was responsible for working with Russian soldiers drafted under Putin's September 21 mobilization order.

A number of Russian conscription officers have suffered grim fates since Putin announced a partial mobilization.

Roman Malyk, an enlistment officer in charge of mobilization in the Partisansky and Lazovsky districts of the Primorsky region in Russia's far east, was found dead on the evening of October 14, local officials said.

"The heart of a strong and courageous man who went through 'hot spots', but did not break under the weight of harsh military events and heavy losses, has died," a statement from local officials said, calling Malyk's death "tragic."

A local news outlet reported that Malyk's body was found "with signs of suicide."

The Telegram channel Amur Mash separately reported that his relatives do not believe that he took his own life.

Meanwhile, some officials responsible for mobilization have also been dismissed or suspended over errors made in drafting recruits.

On October 17, Viktor Shevchenko, head of the mobilization department in St. Petersburg, was dismissed by Governor Alexander Beglov.

And earlier in October an enlistment officer in Khabarovsk, a far-eastern Russian region, was suspended after thousands of people were mistakenly drafted, officials said.

"Out of several thousand compatriots who received a summons and arrived at military enlistment offices in the past 10 days, around half were sent back home for failing to meet the selection criteria," the region's governor, Mikhail Degtyaryov, said in a Telegram video.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's foreign ministry for comment.