A virulent opponent of Russiait’s war in Ukraine was found dead at the age of 52.

Alexei Zimin, a popular Russian television leader and respected editor, reportedly died in a hotel room during a trip to Belgrade, Serbia.

He owned the Zima restaurant in Soho, Londonhaving opened the restaurant after leaving Russia following Vladimir Putinthe invasion of Crimea in 2022.

He has not returned to his homeland since then, when his TV cooking show on NTV was abruptly canceled after he criticized the Russian invasion.

He also worked as editor-in-chief of the Russian edition of GQ, as well as Afisha Mir and Gourmet.

Details of Alexei’s death in Serbia are rare and the cause of his death is not yet known.

Its Zima Club organizes workshops, parties and other events and is popular with Russian expats in the UK.

It was seen as a platform for Russians labeled “foreign agents” by the Kremlin and forced into exile.

Alexei is survived by his wife Tatiana “Tanya” Dolmatovskaya, a costume designer who previously worked for Vogue Russia and graduated from the University of the Arts London, and their daughter Varvara, 17.

In a post three months later Putin’s invasion he said: “Russia will be free, one way or another, or in the third, more mysterious way. »

Regarding his cancellation by pro-Kremlin NTV, he said: “11 years. For 22 seasons of television, I had a primetime Saturday morning show on NTV.

“Since May, there haven’t been any. There will be no new episodes due to the host’s anti-war stance.

‘Do I regret it? No, I regret that we ended up participating in the war. I do not participate in the war, the war participates in me.

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