
© Stringer / Reuters The body of Denis Voronenkov, former Russian State Duma lawmaker, is seen in central Kiev, Ukraine March 23, 2017.
Former Russian lawmaker Denis Voronenkov has been shot and killed in central Kiev, Ukrainian police have said.
"There was an exchange of fire in front of the entrance to the Premier-Palace Hotel about 40 minutes ago. One man was killed and two other persons were injured. The identity of the killed man has been established. He is a Russian politician, a former State Duma member. Yes, I can confirm that he is Denis Voronenkov," the head of Kiev police, Andrey Krishchenko, said, as cited by TASS.
Krishchenko said the assailant injured Voronenkov's bodyguard, who fired at him in return.
"[The suspect] is under police protection, he is being given priority medical assistance at a hospital," Krishchenko told reporters.
Comment: Moscow is shocked by a brazen murder in Kiev of former Russian State Duma member Denis Voronenkov that has all signs of a staged incident, Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
told reporters.
"We are shocked by reports on the brazen murder of former State Duma deputy Denis Voronenkov today in downtown Kiev," Zakharova said.
According to the Russian diplomat, there have been no impartial investigations into many high-profile cases in Ukraine.
"The response of Kiev and the global media, who put the blame of Russia within an hour after the murder, leaves no room for an impartial investigation," the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman added. "Such statements made in the first minutes following this tragedy indicate the true goals of the Ukrainian state. The state is either interested in the investigation and does everything possible to facilitate it or it stirs up hysteria around this bloody crime."
Update (Mar. 24): The Ukrainian Interior Ministry has confirmed the
identity of the suspected gunman in the assassination in Kyiv on March 23 of a former Russian lawmaker who fled last year to Ukraine.
A ministry spokesman told RFE/RL that the man seen shooting ex-Duma Deputy Denis Voronenkov and a bodyguard in security-camera footage of the incident is 28-year-old, Crimean-born Ukrainian national Pavlo Parshov.
Parshov died in a hospital of bullet wounds suffered when the wounded bodyguard returned fire after the suspect shot Voronenkov multiple times in the head on a downtown sidewalk.
...
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry's website lists Parshov as a fugitive wanted in the southeastern Dnipro region for allegedly creating fake businesses and laundering money. A mugshot accompanying the entry shows a man with dark eyes, short dark hair, and a trimmed beard. It states his birthdate as July 28, 1988.
Apparent CCTV footage capturing the moment former Russian lawmaker Denis Voronenkov was shot and killed in central Kiev, with his bodyguard injured, has emerged online.
In the video, a man in casual clothes and wearing a hood is seen walking fast, approaching Voronenkov and his bodyguard in the street from behind. When he catches up with the men, he is seen taking out a gun.
The man in darker clothes - the former Russian politician Voronenkov - faces the attacker and then immediately falls to the ground. The camera also captures a girl walking past with her back to the murder scene. She then starts running, apparently scared by gunshots.
The man in lighter clothes - Voronenkov's bodyguard - is seen throwing himself at the assailant. However, he can also be seen falling to the ground, while the attacker ensures that Voronenkov is dead.
The attacker then tries to flee and turns the corner, out of sight of the video, but the bodyguard is seen firing at him. Seemingly injured and in pain, the bodyguard then checks on Voronenkov, while vehicles drive past, none of them stopping.
Comment: See also: