Putin’s ‘personal enemy’ who revealed his relationship with an Olympic gymnast dies after eating poisonous mushrooms

The journalist described as Vladimir Putin’s ‘personal enemy’, who revealed the President’s secret relationship with a gymnast, died after eating a poisonous mushroom.

According to the Delfi news source, Grigory Nekhoroshev died at the age of 69 in Riga, the capital of Latvia, where he lived in exile as a ‘political refugee’ for 11 years.

Nekhoroshev was the editor-in-chief of the Russian newspaper Moskovsky Korrespondent and reported in 2008 that Putin was planning to divorce his then-wife Lyudmila to marry Olympian Alina Kabaeva.

It is known that Nekhoroshev was ‘quite nervous during his Riga years’ about a possible attack by assassins working for Vladimir Putin. He described himself as Putin’s ‘personal enemy’.

Nekhoroshev was the first to announce his name [Russian leader’s] His common-law wife, rhythmic gymnastics champion Alina Kabaeva,’ said Delfi, ‘Putin clearly did not forgive her for that.’

His friends said that the journalist died at his home in Riga after eating mushrooms he found in his garden.

According to reports, despite being a mushroom enthusiast, they turned out to be poisonous.

There has been no comment from Latvian authorities so far regarding his death on Friday, but an autopsy is planned.

Vladimir Putin and Alina Kabaeva photographed together in 2001

Russian newspaper Moskovsky Korrespondent published the report claiming that Putin was planning to marry Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva in April 2008. The headline reads: Will Putin and Kabaeva get married on Trinity? [Sunday]

Another well-known Russian journalist living in Latvia, Bozhena Rynska, described her loss as ‘incomprehensible’.

His friend Igors Vatoļins, who saw Nekhoroshev shortly before he died, said that the editor was ‘a person not old, not sick, full of ideas and plans’.

When Nekhoroshev’s story was published in April 2008, its owner, Alexander Lebedev, a former KGB spy-turned-banker and entrepreneur, was forced to close Moskovsky Korrespondent.

Secret services interrogated Nekhoroshev with ‘threats’ and he was forced to go abroad.

At the time, Putin responded to the story about Kabaeva, who is thirty years his junior, by deploring those who ‘insidiously enter the lives of others with their sniveling noses and erotic fantasies’.

He and Kabaeva ultimately denied the report, although it is now known to be true of their relationship, which continues to this day.

Putin still has not publicly disclosed his relationship with Kabaeva, who is now 43 years old, but it is known that the couple has two children named Ivan (11) and Vladimir (7).