UN chief "seriously concerned" by killings of prominent figures in Ukraine

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday said he is seriously concerned by reports of recent killings of prominent figures in Ukraine, saying such crimes should be urgently investigated.

"The Secretary-General is seriously concerned by reports of recent killings of prominent figures in Ukraine, including the reported gunning down of Oleg Kalashnikov and Oles Buzina," said a statement released by Ban's spokesperson.

Buzina, a Ukrainian pro-independence journalist, was shot dead on Thursday by unknown gunmen near his house in central Kiev, while Kalashnikov, a former member of the Ukrainian parliament, was found shot to death on Wednesday evening in his Kiev home, reports said.

"The Secretary-General takes note of President Poroshenko's call for a swift investigation into both killings, and urges that all other such crimes be urgently investigated," said the statement.

"This will be critical in order to ensure the rule of law and the need to bring the perpetrators to justice," it said.

Konstantin Dolgov, a Russian diplomat, warned that a dangerous wave of political terror is rising in Ukraine coupled with a media campaign of defaming outspoken dissidents.

"If continued, the political terror may further split the country ... and in turn may result in nothing else but deepen the destabilization of the situation in fragile Ukraine," he said. Endite