Matt Picht
Despite Un-American Ideas, Putin Is Seeing More Republican Support
Vladimir Putin has stifled free speech, jailed his critics and profited from Russian corruption. So why is he becoming a partisan figure in the U.S.?
LEARN MOREPosted: 7:27 p.m. EDT Mar 23, 2017
A former Russian lawmaker turned Putin critic was shot and killed in Ukraine on Thursday.
Denis Voronenkov fled to Ukraine in October 2016 after he was accused of corruption. He was an outspoken opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin and more than once compared Putin's regime to Nazi Germany.
Voronenkov was shot twice in the head outside a hotel in Kiev. His bodyguard and the assailant were both injured in the confrontation.
Ukraine's president has accused Russia of orchestrating the killing. But the Kremlin has denied any involvement.
So far, officials haven't produced any hard evidence Voronenkov's killing was tied to the Russian government.
But Voronenkov is only the latest critic of Putin to be mysteriously murdered. In the past, politician Boris Nemtsov and journalist Anna Politkovskaya were shot to death after publicly opposing Putin.
