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High-profile Russian journalist and Putin critic Arkady Babchenko has been shot dead at his Ukraine apartment, police say.

Babchenko, 41, who had gone into exile, was reportedly found bleeding by his wife at the property in the capital, Kiev, today.

An ambulance was called, but he tragically died on the way to hospital.

Reports claim Babchenko - who had been fiercely critical of the Kremlin - was shot three times in the back, although these are unconfirmed.

Taking to Twitter tonight, The Telegraph's Russia correspondent, Alec Luhn, described the war veteran as a "friendly, lively guy".

(Image: PA)

He wrote: "Arkady Babchenko, one of Russia's best-known war correspondents, has been shot dead at his flat in Kiev, which remains the capital of high-profile assassinations. Such a friendly, lively guy. What a shame. RIP."

It is thought Babchenko had fled Russia, fearing for his life, last year.

Police said they suspected the murder was due to his professional activities.

Ukrainian journalist Osman Pashayev wrote on Facebook that Babchenko suffered three gunshots to the back as he arrived back home.

He added: "RIP ARKADY."

Babchenko, who was born in 1977, fought as an 18-year-old conscript in the first Chechen War from 1996 to 1998. He then volunteered to return for six months in 2000 during the second Chechen War.

He was a law graduate and published One Soldier's War, which told of his experiences in the Russian Army, in 2006.

Tributes have been pouring in on social media following the news of his death.

Journalist Natalia Antonova tweeted: "Arkady Babchenko was one of the fiercest people I knew. This cowardly murder fills me with horror and disgust."

Meanwhile, archaeologist Natasha Reynolds wrote: "Bloody hell. I was at a book reading by Arkady Babchenko in Sheffield more than ten years ago and it's stayed with me all this time. Outstanding writer. This is grim news."

Analyst Neil Hauer added: "Horrific news on Arkady Babchenko.

"His memoir One Soldier's War remains one of the most devastatingly visceral accounts of experiencing the Chechen wars. RIP."