Mysterious death of Russian Ambassador to Mozambique raises questions

The Russian Ambassador to Mozambique, Aleksandr Surikov, was found dead at his residence in Maputo, as reported by the police and quoted on Sunday by the local press. The diplomat has been serving in the country since 2017.

68-year-old Surikov passed away on Saturday night under circumstances that have not yet been clarified, according to the Mozambican newspaper "O Pais."

The police headquarters in Maputo reported that they were informed about the ambassador's death after "the body had already been transported to the principal city hospital" in the capital. Upon hearing about the diplomat's supposed "sudden death," officers proceeded to the medical facility, only to find "the body had already been deposited in the hospital morgue," they said.

The Russian consul, Yuri Doroshenkov, advised officers at the hospital not to initiate any procedures for an autopsy.

"The officers only took photographs of the deceased's body at the morgue (...), as well as images at the residence," was emphasized.

According to Russian authorities, the sudden death of the ambassador might have been caused by a stroke.