Murdered journalist Babchenko left Prague over residence concerns

Russian opposition journalist Arkady Babchenko, who was shot dead in Ukraine’s Kiev on Tuesday, lived in Prague for several months last year but left the city in July because he was unsure whether the Czech authorities would give him a residence permit, Lidovky.cz reported.

An acquaintance of his, the Czech journalist Ondřej Soukup, said that the slain journalist had lost hope of acquiring residence but did not wish to apply for asylum.

Babchenko had fled Moscow after receiving death threats. The Ukrainian authorities accuse the Russian government of being behind his killing.

Ukraine's secret service later said it had known about the murder attempt before it happened and had foiled it.

Author: Ian Willoughby