Former army colonel shot dead in Moscow

10/06/11 13:43 CET

world news

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A former colonel in the Russian Army has been gunned down outside an apartment block in Moscow.

Investigators say an unidentified assassin shot Yuri Budanov in the head before fleeing in a car.

Budanov was well-known. In 2003, he was convicted of strangling an 18-year-old Chechen girl who he thought was a rebel sniper.

He was one of only a handful of Russian officers prosecuted over what campaigners say were widespread abuses during the two separatist wars in Chechnya.

His release in early 2009 after nine years of a ten-year sentence sparked protests in Grozny.

More about: Assassination, Military, Russia, Shootings

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