A Russian billionaire was killed in a road collision while walking his dog in England last week, it has been confirmed.
Surrey Police released a statement on Thursday confirming that Dmitry Obretetskiy, 49, died on Nov. 30, following the Nov. 25 incident that occurred in Oxshott, a village near London.
Obretetskiy, the latest in a series of prominent Russians to die in the UK, was taken to a hospital by ambulance with serious injuries, police said.
The collision involved three vehicles, officers confirmed. No arrests have been made and an investigation is ongoing.
In the police statement, Obretetskiy’s family described him as a “quiet and private man.”
“We have lost a most amazing person who filled our lives,” the statement continued. “We would ask people not to speculate on the circumstances of the incident, as this may impact the ongoing investigation, and it causes us additional anxiety and pain at this most difficult time.”
Pavel Borovkov, a friend of Obretetskiy for 15 years, confirmed to CNN that the comments he made to the Russian website Life, where he questioned whether Obretetskiy was deliberately killed, were accurate.
Borovkov had told Life: “You know, the people in London drive very carefully. I do not rule out a fact that he was deliberately knocked over (by the car).”
Obretetskiy was the owner of Magnat Trade Enterprise, the official distributor of Mars, Nestle, and Procter & Gamble in Russia, setting up the company in Volgograd in 1991.
According to the Russian website gazeta.ru, Obretetskiy and his family left Russia for London several years ago.
