Kyiv assassinates pro-Russian Ukrainian politician outside Moscow: reports
Kyiv claimed credit on Wednesday for orchestrating the assassination of former Ukrainian lawmaker Illya Kyva, who was convicted of high treason and was living in hiding in Russia.
Multiple international news outlets cited law enforcement sources confirming the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out the plot against the former member of Parliament.
Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov hinted at the assassination plot in widely reported remarks on Ukrainian national TV.
“We can confirm that Kyva is done. Such a fate will befall other traitors of Ukraine, as well as the henchmen of the Putin regime,” Yusov reportedly said, adding that Kyva was “one of the biggest scumbags, traitors and collaborators” and “justice” was served in his death.
Russian officials confirmed in a statement Kyva’s body was found outside of Moscow but did not mention Ukraine or its alleged role in the death.
“An unknown person fired shots at the victim from an unidentified weapon. The man died on the spot from his injuries. The identity of the murdered person has been established — this is ex-deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine — Ilya Kiva,” the statement read.
Kyva had openly supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and fled to Russia before it started at the end of February 2022.
The next month, he was officially expelled from Parliament and subsequently charged with high treason for colluding with Russia. He was sentenced in absentia to 14 years.
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