Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY 25

A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 25 March 2017
Ukraine: Russian agent killed Kremlin critic Voronenkov

MOSCOW (AP) — A Ukrai- serving as Russian law-
nian official said Friday that maker but turned a Krem-
the killer of renegade Rus- lin critic after his move
sian lawmaker Denis Vo- to Ukraine last fall, was shot
ronenkov, who was gunned dead near the entrance
down in the Ukrainian capi- to an upscale hotel in the
tal of Kiev, was a Russian center of Kiev.
agent, a claim quickly re- Ukrainian media on Friday
jected by the Kremlin. published leaked CCTV
Anton Gerashchenko, an footage of the attack. It
adviser to Ukraine’s inte- shows the killer shooting
rior minister, identified the Voronenkov from behind
man who shot Voronenkov as he was walking down
on Thursday as 28-year-old the street with his body-
Pavel Parshov and said he guard.
had been trained in Rus- When the bodyguard tries
sia by Russian security ser- to intervene, he, too, is
vices. Parshov was badly shot, leaving the killer free
wounded in the attack to shoot Voronenkov again
and died shortly after in a as he is lying on the floor.
hospital without regaining The injured bodyguard
consciousness. then pulls out his gun and,
“He underwent a spe- while lying on the floor, fires
cial course at a school for Maria Maksakova, the wife of Denis Voronenkov, who was killed, in Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, March on the killer.
saboteurs,” Gerashchenko 23, 2017, is assisted by police in Kiev. A Ukrainian official said Friday that the killer of Voronenkov The slaying has added to
wrote Friday in a Facebook was a Russian agent, a claim quickly rejected by the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Andrew Kravchenko) the strain in Russia-Ukraine
post without explaining ties that have soured badly
how that information was Ukraine’s National Guard Ukraine’s chief prosecutor, give testimony later Thurs- following Russia’s 2014 an-
obtained. said in a statement that the Yuriy Lutsenko, said Vo- day at Ukraine’s Military nexation of the Crimean
Dmitry Peskov, a spokes- 28-year old Parshov served ronenkov was killed shortly Prosecutor’s Office. The Peninsula from Ukraine and
man for Russian President in its ranks in 2015-2016 until before meeting with anoth- purpose of the testimony its support for separatist
Vladimir Putin, told report- being dismissed for an un- er fugitive Russian lawmak- was not immediately clear. rebels in eastern Ukraine.
ers that Gerashchenko’s al- specified breach of con- er, Ilya Ponomaryov. Both Voronenkov, who had Ukrainian President Petro
legation was “absurd.” tract. men were scheduled to toed the Kremlin line while Poroshenko immediately
Authorities file terror charges against Antwerp driver called the killing an “act
of state terrorism” by Rus-
sia even as Ukrainian po-
BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian road on Thursday, he was An official at the prosecu- and follows two truck ram- lice were still inspecting
authorities have charged arrested at the port docks. tor’s office said the suspect pages in Berlin and Nice the scene. Russian Foreign
a Tunisian man with terror- No one was injured. had been “under the influ- last year. It also happened Ministry spokeswoman Ma-
related offenses after he Authorities found knives, ence” but refused to elab- a day after Belgium held ria Zakharova responded
allegedly drove his car at a shotgun and a gas can orate whether it was drugs anniversary remembrance by describing Ukraine as
high speed around a busy containing an unknown liq- or alcohol. At first, the in- services for the Brussels air- the “killer state” and senior
shopping area in Antwerp. uid inside the car. cident appeared to have port and subway attacks, Russian lawmakers sug-
The Federal prosecutor’s Despite reports that people the hallmarks of several which killed 32 people on gested that the Ukrainian
office said Friday that Mo- had to jump out of the way extremist attacks in Europe March 22, 2016. spy agency staged the kill-
hamed R., 39, was charged of the vehicle, several shop — a vehicle in a busy area Belgium has been living ing to blame Moscow.
with “attempted murder in owners in the main Meir bent on mowing down pe- under the second highest Voronenkov, who had
a terror context,” and gun shopping area contacted destrians. It came the day anti-terror alarm ever since, prized real estate in Mos-
offenses. by The Associated Press after an SUV was used to with police and troops sta- cow, was reportedly in-
After driving in the area said they heard or saw run people over on West- tioned in some public ar- volved in business disputes,
around the Meir shopping nothing unusual. minster bridge in London, eas. but saw off attempts to lift
his parliamentary immu-
nity amid criminal charges
while in Russia. Russian
investigators have filed
fraud charges against
him in connection with his
business activities after his
move to Ukraine.