The police suspect two citizens of Kazakhstan in the attempt on the Kazakh journalist Sadikov in Kyiv

Ukrainian law enforcement officers informed about the suspicion of two citizens of Kazakhstan — Altai Zhakanbaev and Meiram Karataev — in an attempt on the Kazakh oppositionist and journalist Aidos Sadikov in Kyiv.

This was reported by the Office of the General Prosecutor.

According to the investigation, Karataev and Zhakanbaev arrived in Kyiv on June 2. They rented housing at different addresses. Already on June 6, Zhakanbaev bought an Opel Vectra car to follow Sadykov. And on June 8, the suspects rented an apartment near Sadikovʼs residence for the period of June 9-17.

The suspects studied in detail Sadikovʼs daily routine, his habits, his circle of communication and the route to his home.

The prosecutorʼs office claims that, according to the suspectsʼ plan, Karataev was supposed to approach Sadikovʼs car while he was in it, shoot him with a silenced firearm and leave. At that time, Zhakanbaev was supposed to monitor the situation and warn his accomplice about the arrival of the police.

The investigation claims that around 12 oʼclock in the afternoon on June 18, the suspects attempted an attack on Sadikov. When the victim drove up to his house on Viktor Yarmola Street (Shevchenkivsky district of Kyiv), Karataev approached the car from the driverʼs seat and shot Sadikov with a pointed shot in the head.

Sadikov was diagnosed with an open, penetrating gunshot wound to the brain, and he is currently in a serious condition in the hospital. The prosecutorʼs office writes that the suspects fled the scene of the crime, and the gun that was used to shoot the Kazakh journalist was thrown away near the fence at the Kyiv Zoo.

The victimʼs wife Nataliya Sadikova claims that Karataev is a policeman who took first place in shooting competitions. She blames the attempt on the president of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, whom Sadikov criticized.

• Until 2010, Aidos Sadikov was the head of the Aktobe department of the opposition party "Azat". For more than 20 years, he has been criticizing the current president of Kazakhstan Tokayev and his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev. During this time, criminal cases were initiated against Sadikov, his car and property were burned, and he was persecuted.
• In 2010, Sadikov was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of "hooliganism", and was released in 2012. Sadikov and his supporters called the criminal case fabricated. Sadikov was engaged in active social activities, organized protest actions.
• In 2014, the couple moved to Kyiv and received political asylum after a criminal case was opened against Natalia Sadikova in Kazakhstan.