The body of a man of unknown identity was discovered on Wednesday afternoon in the coastal area of Avdimou, prompting an immediate response from the police, who could not yet confirm if it belongs to the 56-year-old Russian man who has been missing since January 7.

The autopsy will be carried out on Thursday by a British bases coroner.

According to police, the body was found in an advanced state of decomposition, making immediate identification impossible.

The area where the discovery was made falls under the jurisdiction of the British bases.

Members of the British police, together with Limassol police officers, attended the scene to secure the area and carry out on-site examinations.

Authorities said that forensic examinations and other investigative steps will be required before any formal identification can be made.

Police investigations are ongoing and nothing has been ruled out as regards the cause of death.

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.

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 but 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.