On 23 March, at 11:25 a.m., Denis Voronenkov, Former member of Russian State Duma, was shot dead in the centre of Kyiv. Here are a few things you should now about this murder.
- He was one of key witness in Yanukovych case. In October 2016 Voronenkov and his family fled to Ukraine. He agreed to testify in Victor Yanukovych’s case on state treason in Ukrainian court. His testimony reportedly supplemented the one given by Ilya Ponomarev, another former Duma member who had to flee to Ukraine due to his vote against Crimea annexation. However, the content of Voronenkov’s testimony is unknown.
- Voronenkov was going to meet Ponomaryev the day he was killed. Ponomarev stressed in his Facebook post that Voronenkov was going to meet him within the framework of the case.
- Voronenkov received Ukrainian citizenship in December. He announced this in an interview with Censor.net. Yuriy Lutsenko, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, noted that Voronenkov received citizenship because he had relatives in Ukraine.
- Ukrainian officials blame Russia. Lutsenko has described the murder as “a demonstrative execution of a witness.” At the same time, he noted that Voronenkov was not the only witness among the high-ranking Russian officials.
- The killer was shot by Voronenkov’s bodyguard and died in hospital. That’s unfortunate for Ukrainian security services— Voronenkov killer can’t be questioned now, this loose end is tied.
Read also: Who was Denis Voronenkov, exiled Putin critic murdered in Kyiv?
While investigation is ongoing and there is still no clarity, “Russian trace” can indeed be a viable explanation. Not only he was perceived as a traitor in Russia, but he could also shed light on Yanukovych-Russia links during Maidan and Crimea occupation. Voronenkov might have given concrete proof that Kremlin was backing Yanukovych along the way.
You may also follow the developments on the issue in this livestream.
Read more: Former Russian MP Voronenkov, key witness in Yanukovych treason case, assassinated in central Kyiv
