One of the leading Western executives working for big business in Russia was found dead close to the Kremlin on Thursday.

The body of Dr. Bruno Charles De Cooman was discovered beneath his luxury ninth-floor apartment near Red Square.

The academic and businessman worked for Vladimir Putin’s fried Vladimir Lisin’s NLMK steel empire.

De Cooman, 59, arrived on Thursday at the historic House on the Embankment — besides the Moscow River almost opposite the Kremlin — with a friend.

A friend said De Cooman — a vice-president of NLMK — had planned to go upstairs and return.

However, his body was found minutes later on the ground below.

He was reported dead before the ambulance arrived on Serafimovicha Street.

Shocked colleagues said there were no signs that he was “suicidal.”

Media reports claim a murder report is likely to be launched.

A law enforcement source said: “Obviously, in order to discover all the circumstances a criminal investigation for murder will be launched.”

A statement from NLMK confirmed his death saying: “We are shocked with what happened and offer our condolences to Bruno’s family and friends.”

A witness at the scene said: “Police are all over the area.”

“They cordoned the site and are questioning everyone who could have seen the moment of the fall.”

Sources said that there was no suicide “mood” or note left by the De Cooman, and that he was “completely sober” when he died in the mid-afternoon.

De Cooman was appointed a NLMK vice president in June 2017.

Lisin is one of Russia’s wealthiest men with a $18.86 billion fortune.

De Cooman was a noted academic who had published more than 500 academic papers.

He had previously worked for technology giant Phillips and had worked in South Korea.

He had worked as a professor at Ghent University and Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea.

He had been educated at Ghent University as well as Syracuse and Cornell University in the US.

He was vice president for research and inventions at NLMK.

Properties are rented for around $4,000 a month at the prestigious House on the Embankment, which is a short walk from Red Square and boasts stunning views of the Kremlin.