Let's be real here, a minuscule proportion of critics die. The vast majority are ignored and a few get sent to prison for some crime they may or may not have had any hand in.

The motivations described are certainly insufficient to withstand scrutiny.

And who killed Paul Khlebnikov in 2004? He was a Putin-apologist and chief editor of Russia Forbes. Unfortunately, a lot of journalists die in Russia every year, and has been for the past quarter of century. Cherry picking some of them proves nothing.