‘Utmost seriousness:’ UK police probe death of Russian oil tycoon, Mikhail Watford

A Russian tycoon has been found hanged in his garage at home on one of Britain’s most exclusive estates.

The body of Mikhail Watford was found by a gardener on the Wentworth Estate in Virginia Water, located in the English county of Surrey. He was discovered on Monday.

The father of three, 66, made his fortune from oil refineries in Ukraine then set up a property firm after moving to Britain, The Sun reports.

Police are probing the death with the “utmost seriousness” amid fears he could have been on a hit list. Moscow has been linked to a number of exile deaths in Britain.

A family friend said: “His state of mind might have been affected by the situation in the Ukraine,

“The timing of his death and the invasion of Ukraine was surely not coincidental.”

Another associate said: “His death raises questions. After all the other suspicious deaths of Russian nationals and associates in the UK, it is only natural there will be speculation about his death.” Mr Watford changed his name from Tolstosheya after moving here in the 2000s.

He lived with Estonian wife Jane, their two children and an older son from his first marriage, in a $33 million mansion on the Wentworth Estate.

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Joe Biden Seeks $10 Billion More from Congress for Ukraine After Spending $1.4 Billion

President Joe Biden wants Congress to send him $10 billion to help Ukraine fight Russia, according to a letter from his administration seen Thursday.

“[W]e are requesting $10 billion to deliver additional humanitarian, security, and economic assistance in Ukraine and the neighboring region in the coming days and weeks,” Biden’s acting budget director Shalanda Young wrote in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Young said the money would be used for humanitarian assistance and additional defense equipment to help them defend against Russia’s invasion. It would also help fund Biden’s decision to send American forces to surrounding countries.

She indicated the White House wanted to see the spending package passed by March 11th but said more would be needed in the future.

“Given the rapidly evolving situation in Ukraine, I anticipate that additional needs may arise over time,” she wrote.

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