Murders of pro-Russian lobbyists increase tension in Ukraine standoff

[newthinking]

Source: Reuters

Murders of pro-Russian lobbyists increase tension in Ukraine standoff
KIEV | By Natalia Zinets and Pavel Polityuk

(Reuters) - A Ukrainian journalist known for his pro-Russian views was shot dead on Thursday in Kiev, a day after the killing of a political supporter of ousted Moscow-backed President Viktor Yanukovich, driving up tension between Moscow and Kiev.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the murders were political while Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko described them as deliberate acts which "play into the hands of our enemies" and ordered an immediate and transparent investigation.

The killing of Oles Buzina, who expressed strong pro-Russian views in a daily newspaper, and of ex-parliamentary deputy Oleh Kalashnikov were the latest in a spate of mystery deaths among allies of Yanukovich, who fled to Moscow last year.

Ukrainian officials and political analysts suggested they were the work of Russian special forces assassins out to blacken the image of Kiev's pro-Western authorities.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/16/us-ukraine-crisis-crime-idUSKBN0N718I20150416

[hobbit709]

1. Which head of state has been eliminating his critics any way possible?

Assassination, incarceration, psychiatric evaluations and holding. Could it be someone who learned all this from the KGB playbook.