Russian reporter falls to his death

MOSCOW -- A military correspondent for Russia's top business daily who had at times reported critically on government projects died Friday after falling from a fifth-story window.

Ivan Safronov, the military affairs writer for Kommersant, was fatally injured in the fall from a window in the stairwell of his apartment building in Moscow, according to officials. His body was found by neighbors shortly afterward.

Safronov, 51, who had served as a colonel in the Russian Space Forces before joining Kommersant in 1997, frequently angered authorities with his critical reporting and was repeatedly questioned by the Federal Security Service, the main KGB successor agency, which suspected him of divulging state secrets. No charges were ever filed because Safronov was able to prove his reports were based on open sources, Kommersant said.

With prosecutors investigating the death, Kommersant and some other media suggested the death was the result of foul play.

According to the newspaper, the reporter's hat was found on the landing between the fourth and fifth floors, along with a spilled bag of oranges. His apartment was on the third floor.

The paper cited neighbors in the building as hearing nothing unusual at the time of the fall, around 4 p.m. Friday.

Safronov's colleagues and relatives have described him as a strong, cheerful person who would be extremely unlikely to kill himself.