Russian chef and critic of Putin dies in Belgrade hotel room

Tributes have been paid to a London-based Russian chef, television presenter and writer after he was found dead in Belgrade.

- Ben Quinn Piotr Sauer

Alexei Zimin, 52, died in the Serbian capital after travelling there to promote a book, Anglomania, in which he gave an immigrant's take on Britain's cultural history.

The father of three had been a critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin's invasion of Crimea in 2014 and had spent his final years in the UK, where he was the co-founder of Zima, a restaurant in London bearing his name.

Authorities in Serbia said there were "no suspicious circumstances" related to his death and that an autopsy and toxicology report were continuing, the BBC reported.

Zimin had enjoyed success in his native country as the face of a cookery show on the NTV channel, which was axed after he posted anti-war messages on social media following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.