Denis Voronenkov, a former Russian member of the parliament who spoke out against Vladimir Putin, was murdered Thursday in downtown Kiev. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko referred to the murder of Voronenkov who fled Russia on October 16, an act of terrorism, on Russia’s behalf.
The suspect was arrested on the spot after shooting the victim twice in the head. However, no further details were giving to the public about the identity of the culprit. A Kremlin spokesman in Moscow, however, denied Russia being involved in the killing.
Many individuals seem to be on the offense of that statement, seeing that every time a Russian speaks up against Putin, is murdered.
In a Washington Post interview, less than 72 hours before his death, Voronenkov had been complaining about anonymous threats against him and his wife, Maria Maksakova, a former member of the United Russia party founded by Putin, who also left for Kiev last year.
Before he left Russia, he had gotten caught up in a fraud investigation. Voronenkov was under fire for statements about Russia, comparing it to Nazi Germany, in an interview, last February. Voronenkov believed that’s why they gave him a charge. The charges were based on fabricated stories conducted by political adversaries.
Tuesday, he referred to Putin’s regime as “totalitarian,”; Denis Voronenkov had always shown opposition to Russia’s annexation of Crimea although he did vote for it in 2014 parliament. He will not return to Russia until Putin is dead, he stated.
In recent years, Ukraine’s, Kiev, has become a gathering for ones that oppose the Kremlin. In fact, many liberals (or leftist) and nationalist opposition, live in Kiev to escape the political regime of Moscow. Many of Voronenkov friends he made in the pro-Western bureaucracy from his time in the Soviet Army live in Kiev.
If Voronenkov death is tied to the Kremlin, Kiev may not be a safe place for ones who oppose Russia’s Government.
