Anatoly Gerashchenko - the former rector of Moscow's Aviation Institute (MAI) - has died after reportedly falling down a flight of stairs.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Gerashchenko passed away on Wednesday (September 21) at the age of 73.
Gerashchenko was the head of the Moscow Aviation Institute from 2007 to 2015. Recent reports indicate that he had recently been working as an adviser to the current rector, Mikhail Pogosyan, per Newsweek.
A press release from the organization stated: "On September 21, 2022, Anatoly Nikolaevich Gerashchenko, Doctor of Technical Sciences, professor, adviser to the rector of the Moscow Aviation Institute, passed away as a result of an accident.
"The staff of the Moscow Aviation Institute expresses condolences to the family and friends of Anatoly Nikolaevich. This is a colossal loss for the MAI and the scientific and pedagogical community."
Per Newsweek, reports state that Gerashchenko died after he "fell from a great height" and "down several flights of stairs".
Newsweek adds that the institute has informed Russia's state-controlled news agency Tass that "a commission is being formed to investigate this fact, which will include representatives of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, the State Labor Inspectorate in Moscow and the Moscow Aviation Institute".
The Mail adds that the fall took place at the institute's headquarters in the Russian capital on Wednesday morning, with Newsweek adding that paramedics were reportedly called to the scene, but pronounced Gerashchenko dead at the same location.
Gerashchenko had joined the MAI - one of Russia's leading aerospace science and technology research universities - as an engineer, before eventually working his way up to its head.
Throughout his career, he had received several honors - such as Russia's Medal of the Order for Services to the Fatherland - and had over 50 scientific publications to his name.
The Daily Mail reported that the institute is "closely linked to [Vladimir] Putin's Defence Ministry, with outlets such as Newsweek and The Daily Beast describing Gerashchenko as a former "ally" of the Russian president.
Gerashchenko's death comes just a few weeks after Russian oil boss Ravil Maganov died at the age of 67 after reportedly falling from a Moscow hospital window on Thursday (September 1).
As reported by BBC News, the company has been outspoken in its criticisms of President Vladimir Putin's military campaign in Ukraine.
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