MOSCOW 

Former Ukrainian parliamentarian Illia Kyva was shot dead in Suponevo, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) southwest of Moscow, by an unknown assailant, the Russian Investigative Committee announced on Wednesday.

An unidentified person in Suponevo's park fired shots at Kyva, who died on the spot, the committee said in a statement, adding that an investigation has been launched into the incident, and the necessary steps are being taken to identify the perpetrators.

Andriy Yusov, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s Intelligence Directorate, commented on the incident in a local television program, saying: "Such a fate will befall other traitors in Ukraine and servants of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's regime."

Born in 1977, Illia Kyva served as a member of the Ukrainian Parliament from 2019 to 2022, representing the pro-Russian Opposition Platform For Life.

Before leaving Ukraine in Jan. 2022, Kyva took a pro-Russian stance on Ukraine's actions and criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul