CONTROVERSY is brewing between the United States and Russia over the mysterious death of a one-time Kremlin heavyweight in Washington. Mikhail Lesin, Russia’s former press minister, died in the US capital in November 2015. At the time, Lesin’s family reported that he had suffered a fatal heart attack. But on March 10, Washington’s medical examiner and police department announced Lesin was killed by blunt force injuries to his head, neck and upper and lower torso. However, they refrained from calling the death a homicide.

Russia has reacted to the news by threatening to ask for international assistance if the United States does not clarify the circumstances surrounding Lesin’s demise. Moscow’s tactic of pre-emptively shifting blame to the United States by citing a lack of cooperation on Washington’s part is notable; it is almost as if the Kremlin is attempting to avoid any questions about its own possible role in Lesin’s death.