One of the founding members of the feminist protest group Femen has been found dead in her apartment in Paris.

Oksana Shachko took her own life, according to friends, at the age of 31.

Another of the Ukrainian feminist group’s founders, Anna Hutsol, told Ukrayinska Pravda she had taken her own life, but friends were waiting for an official police report.

A post on the group’s website described Ms Shachko as “fearless and vulnerable.”

“RIP. The most fearless and vulnerable Oksana Shachko has left us. We mourn together with her relatives and friends and expect for the official version from the police,” it said on its official blog.

“At the moment it is known, that yesterday, July 23, Oksana’s body was found in her apartment in Paris.”

Oksana Scachko was one of the co-founders of Femen (REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)

The Femen movement was founded in Kiev in 2008, and has won notoriety in Europe for its protests – usually topless – against religious institutions, dictatorial regimes, homophobia and sex tourism.

Another post on the group’s blog called Ms Shachko “one of the heroines of our time.”

It said she “fought against injustice, fought for equality, fought for herself and for all women as a hero.”

“Oksana is no more with us, but she is here, she is everywhere. Oksana is in each of us, she is in Femen, she is in the history of feminism.”

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A postmortem will be carried out to determine the cause of death.

For confidential support in the UK call Samaritans on 116 123.