Cypriot authorities are investigating the death of a senior Russian Embassy official who was found dead inside his office in Nicosia last Thursday.

Sources close to the matter told the Cyprus Mail that the man was discovered around midday, though police were not informed until several hours later.

Officers who attended the Russian Embassy were not allowed to enter the building.

The body was subsequently handed over to police in the courtyard of the embassy premises.

Police requested access to the office where the official was found in order to examine the scene, but this was refused.

Embassy representatives told authorities the death was a suicide and said a letter had been left.

The letter was not provided to Cypriot investigators and was said to have been sent to Moscow.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, police confirmed that access to the embassy and the alleged letter was denied, citing the embassy’s extraterritorial status, which places it outside the jurisdiction of the Republic.

Sources close to the situation said a post-mortem examination conducted on Friday determined the cause of death to be unnatural.

The findings have not been officially released, and authorities have not commented further due to the ongoing investigation.

The foreign ministry has been informed of the incident, while police are continuing to monitor developments.