Russian celebrity chef, a vocal critic of Putin found dead in Serbia hotel

Reports of sudden dissapearances and mysterious deaths of prominent dissenters and vocal critics of Russian president Vladimir Putin have grabbbed headlines in the past. The latest addition this list is the death of 52-year-old UK-based Russian celebrity chef Alexei Zimin.

As per a report by BBC, Zimin's dead body was found in a hotel room in Belgrade, the capital city of the east European nation of Serbia.

The Russia television chef was known to be a vehement critic of Vladimir Putin and his policies - especially after his invasion of Crimea in 2014. As a result, Zimin was exiled to the UK by the Russian government, following which he settled in London, where he ran his own restaurant.

Zimin was a well-known personality in Russia for his cooking show which aired on the NTV channel. However, the show was shut down after he shared anti-war posts on his social media account criticising Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Serbian authorities informed that an autopsy and toxicology report were still being conducted and that there were "no suspicious circumstances" surrounding his death.

Zimin reportedly went to Belgrade in order to promote a new book that he had written.

People were "in shock," according to Katerina Ternovskaya, the co-owner of the restaurant where Zimin had cooked and promoted his book. She also mentioned that "the last time we saw him, he was smiling and in a great mood."

“The diner was wonderful and Alexei was very happy,” Ternovskaya added.

'Zima', the London restaurant owned by Zimin expressed grief after the death of its owner in a post on Instagram.

"Alexei Zimin, the executive chef of the restaurant ZIMA and editor-in-chief of the project, has passed away.

Throughout his remarkable life, Alexei accomplished a lot — he served as deputy editor-in-chief of Afisha magazine, founded Afisha.Food, also worked as editor-in-chief of Afisha World, GQ, and Gourmet. He hosted several culinary shows, authored numerous books, and launched multiple successful restaurants. But most importantly to us, he was instrumental in founding ZIMA Restaurant in London.

To us, Alexei was not only a colleague but also a friend, a close companion with whom we shared many experiences — good, kind, and at times sorrowful.

We are profoundly grateful for the kind words we have received today in Alexei’s memory. We share this painful loss with you.

The entire ZIMA team extends our heartfelt condolences to Alexei’s family and mourns alongside them," the caption of the post read.