Son of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych drowns in Russian lake

LAKE BAIKAL, Russia, March 22 (UPI) -- The son of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych died in Russia on Saturday, the latest in a series of people close to the former pro-Russian leader who have been killed in vehicle accidents or suicides.

Viktor Yanukovych, Jr., 33, drowned when his vehicle broke through ice covering Lake Baikal in Siberia, the BBC reports.

Several Russian and Ukrainian media outlets initially reported that Yanukovych, Jr., who was known to enjoy extreme driving, was taking part in a sporting event. At least one Russian media outlet quoted officials who said Yanukovych, Jr. -- along with five other passengers, all of whom survived -- had gone on the ice in a Volkswagen van to take pictures.

The death follows reports earlier this month that Oleksandr Peklushenko, the former regional governor of Zaporizhzhya and an ally of former President Yanukovych, was found dead in Ukraine with a gunshot wound to the neck. Authorities have pointed to suicide.

Peklushenko was under investigation for allegedly hiring pro-government men to disperse protests last year that resulted in the ouster of Yanukovych. His was the sixth case of alleged suicide among former officials allied to the former pro-Russian leader, including a former party deputy chairman and a mayor of a southeastern city who were accused of abuse of power.

The son of Yanukovych's former deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council and the son of his unofficial spokeswoman died in vehicle accidents in 2009.

Yanuukovych fled to Russia following his overthrow in 2014. In January, Interpol placed him on its most wanted list after Ukrainian officials accused him of the embezzlement and misappropriation of millions of dollars while in office.