---
title: "Pathologist's Report: 'Liquidation' Production Designer Died in Pre-trial Detention Center from Heart Failure"
description: "A Botkin Hospital pathologist cited heart failure as the cause of death for 'Liquidation' production designer Alexander Kondratov, who died in detention on October 23. The body has not yet been released to relatives."
date: 2026-11-12T13:52:42.528Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/kondratov-death-in-detention-heart-failure
tags: [alexander-kondratov, death-in-custody, sizo, liquidation-series, botkin-hospital, moscow-court, treason-charge]
author: "Roman V."
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Pathologist's Report: 'Liquidation' Production Designer Died in Pre-trial Detention Center from Heart Failure

![Neon symbol of justice in the form of a judge's gavel on a dark background](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/12/kondratov-smert-v-sizo-serdechnaya-nedostatochnost/kondratov-smert-v-sizo-serdechnaya-nedostatochnost-1.webp)

## Key Points

- The Botkin Hospital pathologist's report identifies hypertensive cardiovascular disease with heart failure as the cause of Kondratov's death
- Kondratov lost consciousness at 22:15, arrived at the hospital at 23:29, 1 hour and 14 minutes after clinical death; biological death declared at 23:59
- The body has been in the morgue for nearly three weeks; the lawyer has been denied access due to a lack of power of attorney
- On November 11, the Moscow City Court rejected the appeal against Kondratov's arrest in the treason case
- A verbal statement from the head of the pathology department (type 2 myocardial infarction) contradicts the written report

The official pathologist's report from Botkin Hospital regarding the cause of death of production designer Alexander Kondratov, who died on October 23, 2026, in a pre-trial detention center, has been released. The document, provided to Mediazona by the late filmmaker’s brother, Alexey Kondratov, identifies "hypertensive cardiovascular disease with heart failure" as the primary cause of death. The field for "condition directly leading to death" lists "left ventricular failure," and the post-mortem epicrisis names ischemic cardiomyopathy as the primary underlying disease.

### Timeline of the Final Hours

According to the documents, Kondratov, who was being held in a pre-trial detention center, lost consciousness on October 23 at 22:15. At 23:29, he was delivered to Botkin Hospital "during ongoing resuscitation efforts, 1 hour and 14 minutes after the onset of clinical death." Doctors declared biological death at 23:59 that same day. Thus, less than two hours passed from the moment of losing consciousness to the pronouncement of death, with resuscitation efforts beginning in the detention center and continuing during transit to the hospital.

### Body Still in the Morgue

According to Alexey Kondratov, his brother's body, as of November 12 — nearly three weeks after his death — remains in the Botkin Hospital morgue. The lawyer for the deceased has been denied access to the body: the attorney lacks a power of attorney from relatives, without which, according to regulations, a body inspection cannot be conducted. On November 11, the Moscow City Court rejected an appeal against Kondratov's arrest. Commenting on the defendant's absence from the hearing, the judge noted that he was unable to attend "for known reasons."

### How Kondratov Ended Up in Detention

Alexander Kondratov had lived in Kyiv for about 14 years. In the spring of 2026, he arrived in Russia to renew his passport. In May, he was detained at border control at Vnukovo Airport. Under a petty hooliganism protocol, a court sentenced him to 15 days of administrative detention. This was followed by repeated arrests for other administrative offenses; in total, he spent at least 70 days in detention. On August 5, 2026, a criminal case was opened against Kondratov for high treason, and he was arrested on August 9. The indictment states that the case was initiated based on "no fewer than six publications" on the internet; their content has not been disclosed in public sources.

### Discrepancies in Stated Cause of Death

It is noteworthy that the verbal report from the head of the pathology department at Botkin Hospital, previously communicated to Kondratov’s lawyer, contained a different medical formulation: the cause of death was stated as "type 2 myocardial infarction." The written pathologist's report, by contrast, records chronic cardiovascular pathology — hypertensive disease and ischemic cardiomyopathy resulting in heart failure. Both documents originate from the same institution, yet the terminological discrepancy between the verbal and written reports remains.

### Who Was Alexander Kondratov

Alexander Kondratov was 52 years old. He worked as a production designer on several Russian and Ukrainian TV projects, including the series "Liquidation," "Odessa-Mama," and "Return My Love." For his work on "Liquidation," he was awarded the "Golden Eagle" and TEFI national film awards. News of his death in the detention center broke on October 26; the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) did not disclose the circumstances of the incident for several days.

## Accounts differ

### Medical formulation of the cause of death

- **Botkin Hospital Pathologist (written report):** The cause of death is hypertensive cardiovascular disease with heart failure; primary disease is ischemic cardiomyopathy, direct condition is left ventricular failure ([novayagazeta.eu](https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2026/11/12/prichinoi-smerti-v-sizo-postanovshchika-likvidatsii-aleksandra-kondratova-ukazana-serdechnaia-nedostatochnost-news))
- **Head of Pathology at Botkin Hospital (verbal report to lawyer):** The cause of death was type 2 myocardial infarction ([novayagazeta.eu](https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2026/11/12/prichinoi-smerti-v-sizo-postanovshchika-likvidatsii-aleksandra-kondratova-ukazana-serdechnaia-nedostatochnost-news))

*Where they agree:* Death occurred on October 23, 2026, as a result of a cardiovascular event; both reports originate from the pathology department of Botkin Hospital

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Причиной смерти в СИЗО постановщика «Ликвидации» Александра Кондратова указана сердечная недостаточность. Суд оставил в силе решение о его аресте](https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2026/11/12/prichinoi-smerti-v-sizo-postanovshchika-likvidatsii-aleksandra-kondratova-ukazana-serdechnaia-nedostatochnost-news) - Primary source. Contains the full text of the pathologist's report, timeline of the last hours, information about the morgue, appeal hearing, and Kondratov's biography. All key facts in the article rely on this source.
- [Художника-постановщика «Ликвидации» отправили в СИЗО за госизмену](https://svpressa.ru/society/news/531466/) - Confirms the arrest of Kondratov in the treason case, his age (52), detention in May for petty hooliganism, and the 15-day sentence. Does not contain information about the death.

## FAQ

### What cause of death is stated in the written pathologist's report?

The report from Botkin Hospital names "hypertensive cardiovascular disease with heart failure" as the cause of death. The field for "condition directly leading to death" says "left ventricular failure," and the epicrisis lists ischemic cardiomyopathy as the primary disease.

### When and under what circumstances did Kondratov die?

On October 23, 2026, at 22:15, Kondratov, who was held in a detention center, lost consciousness. At 23:29, he was taken to Botkin Hospital while receiving resuscitation, 1 hour and 14 minutes after clinical death. Biological death was declared at 23:59.

### Why has Kondratov's body not been released to relatives?

According to his brother Alexey Kondratov, the body is still in the Botkin Hospital morgue. The lawyer has no access to the body because he lacks a power of attorney from relatives, which is required for inspection.

### What criminal case was Kondratov arrested for?

On August 5, 2026, a criminal case for high treason was opened against him, and he was arrested on August 9. The indictment states the case was based on "no fewer than six publications" on the internet; their content is not disclosed.

### What is the discrepancy between the verbal and written diagnosis?

The head of the pathology department at Botkin Hospital told the lawyer that the cause of death was type 2 myocardial infarction. The written report from the same institution states the cause as hypertensive cardiovascular disease with heart failure and ischemic cardiomyopathy.