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

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 ongoing, 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.

Mikhail Fishman, a prominent liberal Russian journalist and film-maker who is based in Amsterdam and was a friend, said that Zimin was “much more than just his literary and culinary talents.”

“He cooked, he sang, he wrote, he spoke – he embodied life itself, a zest for life. Intelligent, witty, joyful. We’ve known each other for about 30 years, maybe even more, and I don’t think I know anyone else who made things feel so comfortable and warm.”

Amid speculation about the death, he said that he did not believe that Zimin had been poisoned.

Alexander Baunov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said that Zimin “truly embodied the spirit of a renaissance man”.

“He engaged in everything – from writing to culinary arts – and did it all with remarkable success. His approach was deeply humanistic, driven by joy and a genuine care for people. Outwardly, he was just as warm and joyful.”

He is survived by his wife Tatiana Dolmatovskaya, a costume designer who previously worked at Vogue Russia, and their three teenage children.

Zimin had been GQ Russia editor in chief before working at Le Cordon Bleu London and went on to open Moscow’s first chef’s table restaurant, Ragout, as well as a food magazine, Eda, and a Moscow fast food chain.

In a social media post three months after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Zimin said: “Russia will be free, one way or another, or the third, more mysterious, way.”

Zimin was in Belgrade to promote Anglomania, described as “a personal take on the United Kingdom’s cultural history, anecdotes and fables through the eyes of the immigrant.”

According to his website, it covered British contributions including “Modern ideas about democracy, freedom of speech, human rights, capitalism with an inhuman face and socialism with a human face, science, literature, Christmas turkey and afternoon tea.”