An alleged organizer of the killing of Mikhail Kravchenko, a Russian tycoon and long-standing friend of Princess Michael of Kent, has been detained, a Russian police source said Tuesday.
On May 20, Kravchenko, a 46–year–old furniture company tycoon, was found dead near the Moscow Region village of Peredelkino. He was lying in a pool of blood beside his Mercedes.
In what appeared to be a contract killing, investigators say two men blocked Kravchenko’s Mercedes and shot him at least six times. The killing appeared to be carried out by two professional gunmen who knew his whereabouts.
“Police have detained the alleged organizer. He is currently being questioned,” the police source said adding that the detainee has yet not been officially charged.
The killers have been identified, he continued, adding that police are now searching for them.
The national Investigative Committee and the Moscow Region Branch of the Interior ministry have declined to make official comments as yet.
The Telegraph reported that Kravchencko was pictured holding hands with Princess Michael, 67, during a holiday in Venice six years ago. The princess spoke about their relationship in an interview with Hello! magazine.
She said: "The true nature of our relationship is that it is a very good friendship. I hold hands with all my friends. I don't think that's being intimate at all. I'm a very tactile person – I do it all the time."
Mr Kravchenko also denied claims of an affair, saying: "We (the princess and I) have just normal human relations. We are friends."
