Member of Ukrainian Team Negotiating With Russia Killed upon Suspicion of Treason

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reportedly shot and killed a member of the Ukrainian team negotiating with Russia, Denis Kireyev upon suspicion of high treason.

The SBU had "solid proof" of Kireyev's treason, including recordings of telephone conversations. Kireyev participated in the first round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on March 1. Kireyev reportedly had "free access" to the office of the SBU head, Ivan Bakanov, and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Kirill Budanov, Ukrayinska Pravda reported citing SBU sources.

How he came to to be shot while in SBU detention is not known. There is no official word regarding the incident from the Ukrainian government.

The place and date of when Kireyev was killed is not clear. Russia and Ukraine have so far held two rounds of negotiations in Belarus with a third scheduled for March 7.

Denis Kireyev in different years held senior positions in SKM Finance, the Austrian company Group SLAV AG, Ukreximbank, Oschadbank, as well as private equity Fund and Fixed Income Fund, according to Uawire.

In a photo published by Uawire of the negotiation table with Ukrainian and Russians delegations on either side, Denis Kireyev (in red rectangle) can be seen in the company of Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov.

How and why Kireyev was made a part of the Ukrainian delegation negotiating with Russia and what was his role in the tream is unknown, Ukrayinska Pravda points out.

A TASS report lists the following persons as composing the Ukrainian delegation at the talks with Russia on February 28 in Gomel, Belarus: Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov is leading the Ukrainian delegation along with Advisor to the Ukrainian Presidential Office Mikhail Podolyak, Head of the faction "Servant of the People" David Arakhamiya, First Deputy Head of the Ukrainian delegation in the Contact Group on settling the situation in Donbass Andrey Kostin, Ukrainian legislator Rustem Umerov and Deputy Foreign Minister Nikolay Tochitsky.

An image accompanying the TASS report shows seven persons composing the Ukrainian delegation while the report identifies only six people. The name, Denis Kireyev is missing from the TASS list. However, the person identified as Denis Kireyev by Uawire can also be seen in the TASS image.