A Russian billionaire has died after he was knocked down by a car while out walking his dog near his Surrey home - as a friend said he could have been the victim of a targeted hit.

Surrey Police have confirmed only that a man in his 40s was knocked down in Oxshott and later died.

But Russian media last night named him as Dmitry Obretetsky, 49, an oligarch, which is defined as a wealthy businessman with a high level of political influence.

Obretetsky's friend Pavel Borovkov today questioned whether he was deliberately killed, telling Russian news outlet Life: 'You know, people drive cars very carefully in (Britain)... I don't exclude that he was specially knocked down.'

It emerged this evening that a business partner of Obretetsky is currently behind bars in Russia after he was extradited over claims he conned his workers out of 26million roubles (£300,000).

Three cars were involved in the crash. Their drivers are believed to have been questioned at the scene and no one has been arrested. However, police say the investigation is ongoing and are appealing for information.

It is the latest in a series of mysterious deaths of prominent Russians in the area, after Badri Patarkatsishvili died at an estate near Leatherhead in 2008, Alexander Peripilichnyy died near Weybridge in 2012 and Boris Berezovsky died near Ascot in 2013.

Russian media say a man knocked down and killed in Surrey is tycoon Dmitry Obretetsky

The Russian businessman, 49, was killed in a collision involving three vehicles on this road in Oxshott while he was out walking his dog on November 25

The tycoon lived in in Hamilton House (pictured), a £6million property on an exclusive estate in Oxshott. Former England and Chelsea captain John Terry also owns a property nearby

It emerged this afternoon that Obretetsky business partner Dmitry Tozik is currently behind bars over claims he didn't pay workers

Unlike those figures, Obretetsky is not known to have expressed any opposition to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and experts on the region say oligarchs who become incredibly wealthy in Putin's Russia often have the leader's tacit consent.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich also has property near Oxshott. It is not known whether the two were friends, but Mr Obretetsky's son Ilya has been pictured in Chelsea's Stamford Bridge changing rooms.

The Russian businessman lived in Hamilton House, a £6 million property on an exclusive estate in Oxshott. Former England and Chelsea captain John Terry also owns a property nearby.

Reports from Obretetsky's home city of Volgograd reveal he has been in business with a Dmitry Tozik, who is currently behind bars in Russia after being extradited from Belarus last year.

Obretetsky and Dmitry Tozik, 44, set up company Evraz-Building in 2008 with another shareholder called Alexander Nabatchikov.

He is charged with non-payment of 26 million roubles (£310,000) of wages to 600 workers and the deliberate bankruptcy of another company, Plant of Reinforced Concrete Products and Structures.

However it is not clear that Obretetsky was party to this dispute which involved a different company to the one he shared with Tozik.

Neighbours of Obretetsky's grand Surrey mansion said today that his family had left the property soon after news of his death emerged.

Obretetsky became an iconic hero with football fans in his homeland during Euro 2008 when he was pictured among a sea of Dutch fans waving a Russian tricolour flag

Obretetsky, a football fan who divided his time between the UK and Russia, is pictured with his son Ilya, who is now 22, at the Brazil World Cup in 2014

The small corner of London's commuter belt has seen a number of mysterious deaths of prominent Russians in recent years

Aleksi Fadejeb, 46, who lives opposite Mr Obretesky said: 'I'm also Russian but didn't know Dmitry that well. He regularly walked his dog Oscar and I'd be out with my own dog. We always said hello but it didn't go much beyond that.

'The road Dmitry was trying to cross is very dangerous. I lost my dog there about two weeks ago. I know Dmitry' s family must be devastated by his loss. I've heard they are currently in Russia.'

The three drivers involved in the incident in Surrey last week are understood to have stopped at the scene, but detectives have appealed for information and dashcam footage of the incident.

His pal Pavel Borovkov has spoken to Russian media questioning whether Mr Obretetsky might have been deliberately targeted

A police spokesman said: 'We are continuing to investigate the circumstances around the collision.'

The man's dog was also killed in the road crash. Obretetsky's dog is said to be called Oscar.

Neighbour Samantha Statton, 25, who works as a housekeeper in a property close to Mr Obrestesky's residence, said: 'I was trying to get to the station on the day of the accident. There were police cars, fire engines and ambulances rushing around so I knew something serious had happened.

'It wasn't until a few days later that we were told that Mr Obretesky had been killed. I didn't know him at all but saw him regularly walking his dog.

'A lot of accidents happen on that road. The traffic moves fast and there's no where safe to cross. The area around there is very popular with dog walkers but they really need to make it safer for people to get across the road.'

Obretetsky made his fortune in Volgograd after the fall of the Soviet Union before moving to Britain with his wife and children.

He founded a household chemicals retail company and was owner of Magnat Trade Enterprise, official distributor for Mars, Nestle, Procter & Gamble in Russia.

Obretetsky became an iconic hero with football fans in his homeland during Euro 2008 when he was pictured among a sea of Dutch fans waving a Russian tricolour flag in a quarter final game when Russia beat Holland 3-1.

Obretetsky's consulting company LLC Advant said: 'We know very little about what happened. Of course, this is a great loss and tragedy for all of us.'

Mr Obretetsky is survived by his wife, son and two daughters Evelina (left) and Tatiana (right), who are active on social media

Obretetsky and his son were regularly pictured together on holidays around the world and at Chelsea matches, a club owned by fellow Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich

His friend Mr Borovkov said that Obretetsky had created 'one of the most civilised and European-like companies in our country'.

'Dmitry was a man of diverse interests, he did not focus only on business.

'We remember how at the famous quarter-final of the Euro 2008 football tournament he proudly, completely alone in a crowd of Dutch fans, held a large Russian flag with the inscription 'Volgograd'.

'He loved contemporary music - hard rock, was a fan of Ozzy Osbourne.'

He was 'a wonderful friend and colleague, an understanding and friendly person'.

Obretetsky with his dog. He lived in England but regularly returned to Russia for business

Despite living in Britain - close to several Chelsea stars, according to reports in Moscow - he often visited his homeland.

There had been criticisms of him for his employment methods and a report by Life said: 'After his death, this business empire risks collapsing miserably, leaving thousands of ordinary residents of Volgograd unemployed.'

Obretetsky was married and his son Ilya, now believed to be 22, had attended Millfield School and is a UK citizen. He also had two daughters at school in England.

A Surrey Police spokesman said: 'We can confirm that a man has sadly died following a collision in Warren Lane, Oxshott last week.

'The collision took place at around 4.45pm on Monday 25 November. It involved three vehicles and a pedestrian, who was walking a dog at the time. The dog died at the scene.

'The pedestrian, a man in his 40s, was taken to hospital by ambulance with serious injuries, but sadly died on Saturday (30 November).

'The man's next of kin have been informed. We are continuing to investigate the circumstances around the collision.

'Anyone with information which could assist with our enquiries, or has dashcam footage, is asked to contact us on 101, quoting incident reference PR/P19274056.'

It comes after Boris Berezovsky (left) was found dead in his nearby Berkshire bathroom with a ligature round his neck in March 2013 and Alexander Perepilichnyy (right), the Russian financier who dropped dead while out jogging in Weybridge, Surrey, in 2012

Germany yesterday expelled Russian diplomats over the murder of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili

The death also comes at a time of heightened tensions between the West and Russia after Germany expelled two Russian diplomats over the murder of Georgian Zelimkhan Khangoshvili.

German prosecutors say there is sufficient evidence to suggest that either the Russian government or authorities in the Russian region of Chechnya ordered the hit.