Police in St Petersburg yesterday arrested several suspects for the murder of a leading politician after her wounded aid regained consciousness and spoke to investigators.
Ms Galina Starovoitova (52), a leader of the liberal Russia's Democratic Choice party, was shot dead on the stairs of her apartment building in Friday night. Her murder has caused an uproar in Russia and prompted calls from all sides for a crackdown on the country's growing lawlessness. The MP's aide, Mr Ruslan Linkov (27), was in a "clear" mind yesterday testifying to investigators, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. Police armed with assault rifles are standing guard on his hospital room.
Liberal leaders charged - without any evidence - that Ms Starovoitova's Communist foes in the Duma were the most likely culprits. Over the weekend, the Interior Minister, Mr Sergei Stepashin, even had to call a news conference to say there was no evidence that the Communist Speaker of the Duma, Mr Gennady Seleznyov, was involved in the killing.
Ms Starovoitova, of the reformist party Democratic Russia, tried to run for president in 1996 but her registration was turned down for technical reasons. She had said she would run again in 2000.
She served as President Boris Yeltsin's aide on ethnic issues in 1991-1992 and later joined the Russian parliament as one of the most vocal defenders of liberal reforms.
Mr Yeltsin called Ms Starovoitova a "comrade" and said he would personally monitor the investigation into her killing.
Ms Starovoitova remarried earlier this year and had one son and a grandson. She is due to be buried today at the Nikolskoye cemetery in St Petersburg.