Person of interest in Voronenkov murder shot and kidnapped in Moscow

On the evening of January 10, a man was shot and kidnapped outside the Moscow café Bazilik near Prospekt Mira. Interfax and other sources have reported that the man was Yury Vasilenko, a person of interest in the murder of former Duma deputy Denis Voronenkov. Vasilenko has both Russian and Ukrainian citizenship and is described by multiple sources as a major figure in organized crime.

Moscow investigators have opened a criminal case and are searching for the men involved in the kidnapping. RBC and Interfax reported that several men were engaged in a conflict outside the café when one of them was shot and forced into the trunk of a Mitsubishi Pajero. When the kidnapped man was identified as Vasilenko, his apartment was searched. Authorities found a pistol and ammunition along with other materials relevant to the case, said Yulia Ivanova, the head of Moscow’s Investigative Committee.

Denis Voronenkov was killed in Kyiv on March 23, 2017. His murderer, Pavel Parshov, was wounded by Voronenkov’s bodyguard and later died of his wounds, but other figures involved in the case are still at large.