Scientist behind Russian Sputnik V Covid vaccine 'strangled to death with belt'

A man has been arrested and charged after Andrey Botikov, a lead researcher involved in the development of the Sputnik vaccine, was found dead in his apartment in Moscow< /p> Andrey Botikov was allegedly strangled with a belt during a burglary (

Image: twitter)

A murder investigation has been opened after a Russian scientist involved in the development of the Sputnik Covid vaccine was found dead.

Andrey Botikov was part of a team of 18 scientists who developed the coronavirus vaccine in 2020.

He was found strangled to death with a belt in his Moscow apartment.

It was reported that an intruder broke into his home and started arguing with him over money.

A 29-year-old man has since been arrested and charged with murder after the Russian investigative commission claimed to have arrested the suspect "in the shortest possible time" as he fled.

Botikov helped develop the Sputnik V Covid vaccine (

Picture:

POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Reports that the accused, who has already been prosecuted for another "serious" crime, confessed to the murder during questioning.

Russian media reports named the suspect as Alexei Z and said he had served a 10-year prison sentence for providing sexual services.

Botikov, who worked at the Russian Collection of Virus D.I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology, before becoming a senior researcher at the State Center for Research in Epidemiology and Microbiology, was awarded the Order of Merit to the Fatherland for his work on the vaccine.

Sputnik was the first registered combination vector vaccine against Covid-19.

Botikov is one of a number of prominent members of Russian society who have been found dead recently.

Last month, General Vladimir Makarov was found to have apparently committed suicide in his home.

In December, sausage tycoon Pavel Antov, a critic of the war in