2 Russian doctors dead, 1 in ICU after mysterious accidents

MOSCOW (AP) — Two Russian doctors have died and one remains in the intensive care unit in serious condition after falling out of windows in hospitals under mysterious circumstances.

The tragic incidents last week made national headlines, with media reports saying all three have come under pressure from their superiors over working conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In recent weeks, medical workers all over Russia have decried shortages of protective equipment and questionable infection control procedures that turned dozens of hospitals into virus hotbeds, with hundreds of doctors and nurses contracting the virus. Many said they have been threatened with dismissal or even prosecution for going public with their grievances.

Dr. Alexander Shulepov, an ambulance doctor from the Voronezh region, 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of Moscow, fell out of a window in a hospital early Saturday where he was being treated for COVID-19, breaking several ribs and sustaining a skull fracture.

Shulepov, 37, was admitted to the hospital more than a week before the accident after testing positive for coronavirus. That day, colleague Alexander Kosyakin posted a video on social media of himself and Shulepov complaining about protective equipment shortages. In the video, Shulepov said he was being forced to finish his ambulance shift despite being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Five days later, local health officials shared another video of Shulepov on social media in which he retracted his earlier complaints, saying he was just being emotional.

Five days later, Shulepov fell out of a two-story hospital building. The cause of the accident remains unknown. Some local media suggested he was merely attempting to smoke on a window sill, while others reported that Shulepov was under a lot...