Story highlights Pavel Sheremet, 44, was an award-winning reporter who worked for the news website Ukrainska Pravda

Sheremet is the highest-profile journalist killed in Ukraine in 16 years

(CNN) A well-known Belarusian journalist working in Ukraine was killed Wednesday after an explosive device placed under the car he was driving detonated in central Kiev.

Pavel Sheremet, 44, who reported for the news website Ukrainska Pravda and previously for Russian state television before moving to Ukraine, was on his way to the independent radio station Radio Vesti, where he hosted a morning show, according to Ukrainska Pravda.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called Sheremet's killing "a terrible crime" and ordered a swift investigation.

"He was a star and a luminary to us. He was a journalist who deeply understood the social and political canvas of modern times," his colleges said in a tribute on the Ukraisnka Pravda website. "He contributed an amazing spirit and essence to our office."

Security footage from the scene shows Sheremet's car being engulfed in fumes and flames, as passersby rush to the charred vehicle looking for survivors. Sheremet was the only person in the car, which belonged to his partner, Ukrainska Pravda founding editor Olena Prytula.

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