The mayor of Kandalaksha, a town in Russia’s north-western Murmansk region was assassinated on Tuesday night. It is the third deadly attack on regional officials in a month.
Mayor Nina Varlamova died on the way to hospital from stab wounds. Just before her death Varlamova told doctors the name of her killer – she knew him personally. 51-year-old Dmitry Kireev, an unemployed local resident, has been detained by police. “The victim was conscious until the medics arrived. In the presence of witnesses she stated the name of a man, and he has already been detained,” local police told RIA Novosti. The reasons and the circumstances of the murder are still under investigation. Another mayor and a regional governor were also killed in November 2008. On November 17th in Nazran region, Ingushetia, the head of local the government Magomed Barahoev was wounded in a shooting accident and died in hospital later from his injuries. On November 26th unknown gunmen in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia, shot Mayor Vitaly Karaev. The mayor died in the hospital. Five suspects have been detained.