MOSCOW, March 23 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko) – Former lawmaker of the Russian State Duma Denis Voronenkov had been shot dead in the central part of Ukrainian capital Kiev, Dmitry Belotserkovets, a member of the Ukrainian parliament wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday.

The Ukraine’s Interior Ministry has also issued a statement about the incident noting that one man was killed and his bodyguard wounded in the shoot-out. The police say that the guard was able to open fire in response and wounded the attacker, who is now in a hospital under police protection.

The incident took place just outside the Premier Palace Hotel in downtown Kiev around 11.25 am local time.

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yury Lutsenko told journalists that the assailant was hospitalized. He added that there are two potential motives for murder: either it was related to Voronenkov’s role as witness in a case against ex-president of Ukraine Yanukovych or to former MP’s investigations into smuggling cases.

Later, press-secretary of the Prosecutor General, Larisa Sargan, wrote on her Twitter account that the assailant died in the hospital.

Voronenkov, a former member of the Communist Party, moved to Ukraine last October together with his wife Maria Maksakova, also an ex-lawmaker, and was granted Ukrainian citizenship in December 2016.

In Russia, Voronenkov faced numerous criminal charges, among them of fraud, and was arrested in absentia by a Moscow court; his name was put on the Russia’s federal wanted list.

Investigators believe that in August 2010 through June 2011 Voronenkov assisted a group of accomplices in defrauding an owner of a building in Moscow of his property and its illegal sale. Voronenkov allegedly was paid over $1,2 million for his role in the fraud.

According to the press service of the Russian Investigative Committee, it was established that Voronenkov ensured the financing of the criminal activities and gave instructions to the accomplices. He also allegedly laundered the criminal proceeds and distributed the money among other participants in the fraud.