In Kiev, a former State Duma deputy, Denis Voronenkov has been killed. Last autumn, he fled to Ukraine with his wife, an opera singer and also a former deputy, Maria Maksakova. Voronenkov, who fled Moscow because of a fraud criminal case, began to testify against Viktor Yanukovich in Kiev, claiming that he knew some secret information, and the Ukrainian authorities almost instantly granted him citizenship. Today, Voronenkov was shot in broad daylight. Ekaterina Mironova reports from Kiev.

He is wounded, he urgently needs help. Quickly call an ambulance! The very center of Kiev, almost Khreshchatyk. Half an hour before noon, Denis Voronenkov and his guard left the Premier Palace, an expensive hotel. In a moment, the former Russian deputy is on the ground. The killer shot the former parliamentarian 4 times at close range. The injuries were fatal. Voronenkov died on the spot. About 20 bullet casings were found at the scene of the murder. We also confiscated the gun of the killer, a TT. Voronenkov’s security guard used a Stechkin pistol. The bodyguard managed to injure the criminal.

This video shows a man in white, who is supposed to be the killer.





The murderer was hospitalized. He went through four operations, but died. The identity of the killer, who was injured at the crime scene, was established. This will greatly advance the progress of the investigation. You will receive all the information officially. — Was he Ukrainian? — Yes, he was. Surprisingly, the criminal was carrying an identity card in his pocket. The Ministry of Internal Affairs knows the name of the killer, but deliberately doesn’t disclose it. It is known that he was 29 years old, and was wanted. The shooter was alone, but we can say with certainty that he had accomplices. We can’t say how many, but there were those who helped him. As a result of the shooting, Voronenkov's bodyguard was wounded. He is conscious and already said that he is ready to cooperate with the investigation.

The wife of the former deputy, opera singer Maria Maksakova, came to the scene of the murder almost immediately. On these shots you can see that she is shocked. She comes to the body, having recognized her husband is murdered, she loses consciousness. On the corner of Pushkinskaya and Shevchenko boulevard, another runaway deputy, Ilya Ponomarev, appeared in a few moments. According to him, Voronenkov was killed just a few minutes before meeting him. Denis... The victim was going to a meeting with me. I was in the Premier Palace. The murder took place at 11:25, I was driving up to the Premier Palace, and found him already lying on the pavement in just a few minutes.

Ukrainian security service and officials are accusing Moscow of murdering Voronenkov, interrupting each other. They say — "Who else?". But experts believe that the assassin's paymaster should be looked for in Ukraine. I think that the "war party", “the party of hawks”, is behind this murder. They're interested in escalation. They aren't interested in putting an end to the Ukrainian crisis. These are the people who earn money on war, and receive political dividends. And they found such a tool, such a pressure point. According to experts, this crime is unlikely to be solved. The investigation will end up the same way, as with other high-profile cases. Pavel Sheremet's and Oles Buzina's murder investigations were never set in motion.