Criminal boss Yuriy Vasylenko, who is believed to be involved in the case of the ex-State Duma deputy Denis Voronenkov's murder in Kyiv, was seen shot at and abducted in Moscow.
The incident unfolded at the "Bazilik" restaurant which Vasylenko used as his office, Rosbalt reported Jan 11, referring to its source in law enforcement circles.
"Last night, a group of physically fit men came and ordered that he [Vasylenko] follow them. He tried to escape. There was a fight outdoors. They shot at him. Then these unidentified men threw the wounded 'kingpin' into their car's trunk and drove off in an unknown direction," the publication wrote.
The source claims that recently the crime boss feared for his life as he had received several calls to "have a chat" by a “major member of the Russian mafia.”
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UNIAN memo. Former State Duma member Denis Voronenkov, who was expected to become an important witness in a treason trial against Russian-backed ex-president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, was shot dead in the center of Kyiv on March 23, 2017. Voronenkov's bodyguard, who was wounded in the attack, also managed to hit the assassin with several shots as he returned fire. The killer later died amid surgery in a Kyiv hospital.
Voronenkov and his wife, the singer Maria Maksakova, who was also a Russian politician, were granted Ukrainian citizenship in December 2016 after fleeing Russia. A former Communist Party member in the Russian parliament, he feared for his safety after speaking out against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Read alsoUkraine prosecutors name contractor of Voronenkov's hit (Photo, video)
Voronenkov had been a vocal critic of the Kremlin's actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. He told Ukrainian media in an interview that Russia was going through a "pseudo-patriotic frenzy" similar to Nazi Germany.
Russia launched a smear campaign against Voronenkov last year, pinning US$ 5 million fraud charges on him and his wife. The Russian Investigative Committee indicted Voronenkov in absentia and put him on the Russian federal wanted list. Voronenkov was accused of large-scale fraud, namely an illegal seizure of a building in the center of Moscow in 2011. The criminal case against him was opened in October 2011.
