The first deputy chairman of Russia's central bank died in hospital this morning after being shot by gunmen outside a Moscow sports stadium, a senior doctor said.
Andrei Kozlov, a high-profile figure in Russian finance who was in charge of cleaning up the murky and fragmented banking system, had undergone emergency surgery for head and body wounds after last night's attack in which his driver was killed.
Sources said the attack on Mr Kozlov (41), who had led an aggressive drive to shut down banks accused of money laundering and other crimes, bore the hallmarks of contract killing.
The attack could have an impact on banking stocks such as Sberbank and on the interbank market, especially if the Kremlin reacts by cracking down on banks Kozlov investigated, analysts said.
The gunmen were lying in wait for Mr Kozlov as he emerged from the stadium in the Sokolniki district in the northeast of the Russian capital after a soccer match between bank employees.
Media reports said the gunmen fired at least four times, killing the driver on the spot and badly wounding Mr Kozlov before fleeing.