Russian ex-MP shot dead in Kyiv

Denis Voronenkov, Russian State Duma ex-MP, was shot dead in Kyiv center, on March 23. Voronenkov’s bodyguard was wounded. The gunman was also wounded and later died in hospital.

The incident occurred in the vicinity of the Premier Palace Hotel, in Kyiv center, at noon. Voronenkov was shot from TT-type semi-automated pistol.

Denis Voronenkov was a member of State Duma of previous convocation. He failed to get in the Russian Duma of new convocation and moved to Kyiv end of 2016. He was granted Ukrainian citizenship. When in Kyiv, he frequently criticized political situation in Russia and testified to Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office in high treason case involving Ukrainian ex-President, Victor Yanukovich.

Voronenkov’s wife, Maria Maksakova, also the Russian State Duma MP, an opera singer, the Mariinskiy Theatre soloist and former spouse of criminal kingpin, Vladimir Tyurin, also moved to Kyiv together with her husband.

Russia instituted criminal proceedings against Denis Voronenkov, accusing him of fraudulent seizure of US$1million worth real estate. Voronenkov was a colonel and a PhD holder. According to the Russian media reports, he was the so-called ‘fixer’, i.e. a person capable of solving parties’ conflicts in criminal deals.

Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko, termed Voronenkov’s assassination as ‘an act of political terrorism on part of Russia’. RF President, Vadimir Putin’s Spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, refused to comment on the incident.

As a reminder, Russian Envoy to UN, Vitaliy Churkin, died on February 20 amid unclear circumstances. In due time, at the UN Security Council session, Churkin presented Victor Yanukovich’s letter to Vladimir Putin, in which he requested the Russian leader to send troops to Ukraine. After Churkin’s death, the Russian side has flatly denied the existence of such an appeal.