Former Ukrainian MP Illya Kyva allegedly assassinated in Russia as Ukraine accuses him of betrayal.

Illya Kyva, a former Ukrainian MP, has been killed in Russia allegedly by Ukraine's SBU security service, according to law enforcement sources cited by BBC Ukraine. Sources claim that Kyva was assassinated using small arms. Russian investigators confirmed that his body was found outside Moscow. Kyva had previously been sentenced to 14 years in prison for high treason and publicly calling for the occupation of Ukraine, although he fled the country and was convicted in absentia. Ukrainian media outlets also reported that the SBU was behind the assassination of the 46-year-old former lawmaker. The Russian SK state investigative committee stated that preliminary information indicated Kyva was shot dead in Suponevo village, west of Moscow, launching a criminal investigation into the incident. Kyva, who had run for Ukraine's presidency in 2019, left the country just a month before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. He frequently appeared on Russia's state-run media and had allegedly been planning to seek political asylum in Russia. In a separate incident, Russian-backed politician Oleg Popov was killed in a car bombing in Luhansk city, Ukraine's eastern region. This region has largely been seized by Russia, and Ukraine has not commented on the attack. Kyva had claimed responsibility for a similar attack when Luhansk region lawmaker Mikhail Filiponenko was killed. Since the Russian invasion, Ukraine's SBU and military intelligence have claimed numerous successful operations against high-value targets in the occupied regions and Russia itself. Additionally, Russia's bridge linking occupied Crimea to Russia has been targeted multiple times, causing significant damage. The SBU recently announced that it blew up a rail connection in Russia's Far East near the Chinese border, which served as a crucial transportation hub.