Russian businessman reported missing in Cyprus

Russian businessman and former CEO of fertiliser giant Uralkali, Vladislav Baumgartner has been reported missing since January 7 after disappearing from his home in Pissouri, police said on Monday.

Police are focusing efforts near the village, where Baumgartner’s mobile phone last transmitted a signal.

Search operations have been complicated by severe weather, with storms battering the island over recent days.

A police helicopter and drones were deployed on Sunday, but operations were temporarily halted due to poor conditions before resuming on Monday.

Baumgartner is a well-known figure in Russian and international business circles.

He served as commercial director of Uralkali before becoming chief executive, a position he held from 2003 until 2013.

Uralkali is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of potash, accounting for around a fifth of global output and playing a significant role in the global fertiliser and food supply chain.

Baumgartner became internationally prominent in August 2013 when he was arrested at Minsk airport in Belarus while travelling for talks with the Belarusian prime minister.

The arrest followed the collapse of cooperation between Uralkali and the Belarusian state-owned producer Belaruskali, a dispute that became known as the “potash war”.

Baumgartner was charged with abuse of power and held in detention before being extradited to Moscow in November that year.

He was placed under house arrest and later dismissed from his role at Uralkali.

The charges were dropped in 2015, with the case widely viewed at the time as politically driven amid strained relations between Moscow and Minsk.

After the case was closed, Baumgartner returned to senior business roles, including leadership positions in port and logistics companies, and in recent years had been living in Cyprus.

The case comes as a senior diplomat at the Russian embassy in Nicosia was found dead under circumstances described by authorities as suspicious.

Police have stressed that there is, at this stage, no evidence connecting the two cases.

Investigations into Baumgartner’s disappearance remain ongoing, with authorities urging anyone who may have information to contact the Limassol police.