Moscow, December 21: Alexander "Sasha" Kagansky, a Russian scientist who was working on a COVID-19 vaccine, was found dead under mysterious circumstances. According to local media reports, Alexander "Sasha" Kagansky fell from a 14th-floor window of a high rise flat in Russia’s St Petersberg. Kagansky's body was found with stab wounds on it. A 45-year-old man was detained in connection with the suspected murder. Alexei Navalny Poisoned: List of Outspoken Russians Who Fell Victim to Suspected Poisonings.

Biologist Kagansky, who had been "developing a vaccine against coronavirus", died “under strange circumstances”, according to Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets. His body was spotted by a woman on December 19. The report added that police suspect the scientist fell after a scuffle. It remains unclear which COVID-19 vaccine he was working on.

Kagansky came to St Petersberg to visit the graves of his relatives. He had also met an old school friend prior to his death. He had worked with Edinburgh University for 13 years until 2017. He was the Director of the Centre for Genomic and Regenerative Medicine at Russia’s Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. COVID-19 Vaccine Sputnik V Effective Against New Strain of Coronavirus, RDIF Informs Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case for murder following the discovery of the body “with signs of a violent death”. The detained suspect is a resident of St Petersburg. Kagansky recently received a Russian grant to study new ways of diagnosing and treating malignant brain tumours.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 21, 2020 09:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).