Denis Voronenkov, a former Communist Party of Russia lawmaker and well-known critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was shot and killed March 23 at approximately 11:30 a.m. in central Kiev. Voronenkov's bodyguard fired back at the shooter, who was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly thereafter. Details of the shooting are still emerging, but it is known that Voronenkov was attacked on the sidewalk outside the Premier Palace Hotel, not far from Maidan Square. Photos of the scene show him unresponsive with an apparent head wound and with a Tokarev-style pistol lying on the pavement next to him. It is unclear whether the gun belonged to the shooter or to the bodyguard traveling with Voronenkov, but the wound appears to be consistent with what a small caliber gun, like a Tokarev, would make. Voronenkov's cell phone was also lying on the pavement next to him, indicating that he may have been talking or texting and was likely not paying attention to his surroundings at the time of the killing.

Voronenkov fled along with his wife Maria Maksakova (a former United Russia lawmaker) to Ukraine in October after losing his seat in parliamentary elections and being charged by Russian authorities with fraud. The charges were brought after Voronenkov said in an interview with a Ukrainian media outlet that Russia was in the grip of a "pseudo-patriotic frenzy" and that it was a "mistake" for Russia to annex Crimea. Voronenkov was given Ukrainian citizenship in December, reportedly in exchange for providing Ukrainian authorities with testimony related to Russia's annexation of Crimea and its support for the rebellion in eastern Ukraine.

It is unclear who is responsible for the shooting of Voronenkov, though his criticism of Putin and exile in Ukraine certainly makes the Kremlin a prime suspect. The allegation is backed by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who described Voronenkov's murder as "an act of state terrorism by Russia, which he was forced to flee for political reasons." Poroshenko has not yet given any specific evidence for this claim, however, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that allegations of Russian involvement in the hit are "absurd."

The hit also comes as tension has escalated in eastern Ukraine following the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Fighting between Ukrainian security forces and pro-Russia separatists along the frontlines has intensified over the past two months, and last week Ukraine instituted a blockade of cargo traffic coming from the separatist territories. The hit on Voronenkov, regardless of who is responsible, is likely only to inflame the Ukraine-Russia relationship even more.