Andrey Botikov, one of the scientists who helped develop Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V, was strangled with a belt here at his apartment and police have a suspect linked to the murder, according to a Russian media report.
Botikov, 47 years old, who worked as a senior research scientist at the National Research Center for Ecology and Mathematics named after him In 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Bottom the Order of Merit for the Fatherland for his work on a coronavirus vaccine, according to Russian news agency Tass.
According to the report, Botykov was one of 18 scientists who developed the Sputnik V vaccine in 2020. The commission of inquiry into the incident said in a statement on Telegram that it was being investigated as a murder case.
Investigators say a 29-year-old man choked Botikov with a belt during the argument and fled. According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, the suspect was arrested shortly after Botnikov’s body was found.
