Top regional lawmaker killed in Russia’s CaucasusDecember 25, 2012 - 17:42 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A top regional lawmaker in the Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria was shot dead on Tuesday, Dec 25, in an apparent contract killing, RIA Novosti reported. Boris Zherukov, 54, who is also the rector of the Kabardino-Balkaria State Agricultural University, was killed at his office in Nalchik by two unidentified men who then fled the scene. Police are searching for the attackers. Zherukov led the ruling United Russia party's faction in the regional legislature. United Russia has asked Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev to take personal control of the murder investigation. A senior party official, State Duma Deputy Speaker Sergei Neverov, expressed outrage at Zherukov’s “brutal killing” and called for “severe punishment” of the attackers. Vladimir Markin, spokesman for Russia's Investigative Committee, said investigators were considering several possible motives for Zherukov's murder, including his professional activities, but were also not ruling out that the "crime was committed by members of illegal armed groups" operating in the republic. It is the third murder of a university rector in Russia in recent years. In June, 2011, Maksud Sadikov, the head of the Institute of Theology and International Relations in Dagestan, was shot dead in his car in the capital Makhachkala. Sadikov had led government-sponsored efforts to counter violence in the restive region. Last September, the rector of Saint Petersburg's University of Service and Economics, Alexander Viktorov, was gunned down near St. Petersburg, apparently in connection with his business activities, investigators said. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Ucom Celebrates Telecommunication Day May 17 commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. Armenian, Azerbaijani heads of parliament meet in Switzerland President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Border residents overnight on highway to protest Armenia’s Residents of Kirants continue to express outrage over the government’s decision to cede land to Azerbaijan. Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. |