Case raises questions
Russian journalist dies in defenestration near Paris
Updated on January 8, 2026 – 4:36 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
A 38-year-old Russian journalist died in a Paris suburb. The investigators assume suicide, but are checking possible threats in advance.
A Russian journalist has died after falling from the seventh floor of an apartment building near Paris. The 38-year-old was found lifeless in front of a building in Meudon on Tuesday morning and died a short time later in hospital, French media reported. The public prosecutor’s office in Nanterre opened an investigation to clarify the cause of death.
According to the newspaper “Le Parisien”, the man fell from the window opening of his apartment on Rue de la Roseraie. In the apartment, police officers found a chair in front of the window, several letters written in Russian and medication in a trash can. The investigators are currently primarily assuming suicide, but are not ruling out other causes.
At the same time, the authorities are checking information about possible threats. A source familiar with the case told Le Parisien that the journalist may have previously received death threats. The public prosecutor’s office explained that the investigation should also provide information about the man’s personality and living conditions.
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According to the reports, the journalist lived with a roommate. He was in a state of shock when the police arrived and could not be questioned at first, partly because he only speaks Russian. It is still unclear whether he witnessed the fall.
The Russian exile media Novaya Gazeta Europe identified the deceased as Yevgeny Safronov. According to a journalist colleague, Safronov went abroad after the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine after his former medium was classified as a “foreign agent” in Russia. He had been living in Paris for around six months.
Recently, Safronov suffered from depression and had difficulty re-establishing himself in exile, a colleague wrote on Telegram. A week before his death, his phones and online accounts were also hacked. The French authorities have not yet commented on this information.
Editor’s note: According to scientific studies, reports about suicide can encourage imitation. We therefore only report on suicides if those affected are particularly prominent or the circumstances surrounding them are exceptional. If you think a lot about your own death or are worried about a fellow human being, can be found here immediately and anonymously Help.
