Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko, who was killed in Kyiv on May 29, did not apply for temporary or permanent residence or asylum in the Czech Republic, the Czech Interior Ministry has said.

"The Ministry of the Interior clearly states that Babchenko did not apply for temporary or permanent residence or asylum in the Czech Republic in the past. We regret the death of the journalist who was shot dead in Ukraine the day before, but we categorically reject the connection of this event with the Interior Ministry," reads a statement posted on the website of the Czech Interior Ministry in response to some media reports regarding Babchenko's residence in the Czech Republic.

The ministry also rejected the assumption that Babchenko's death could be connected with the alleged weakness of the Czech Interior Ministry and called for stopping personal attacks on some Interior Ministry employees in social media.

"Every death, and the death of a journalist, is a sad and delicate matter, but we ask journalists and the public in this context not to refer to false information in the context of the Interior Ministry and its specific employees," the statement says.

Previously, Czech online portal Aktualne wrote that Babchenko arrived in the Czech Republic in February 2017, but left a little less than six months after he lost the hope of obtaining a residence permit.

As reported, a Russian citizen, ATR television channel host Arkady Babchenko, was shot dead near his home in the Dniprovsky district of Kyiv late on May 29.

A criminal case on charges of a premeditated murder (Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) was opened.

Kyiv police chief Andriy Kryschenko said that professional activity is the first most likely reason behind the death of Babchenko.

The police also made a composite portrait of Babchenko's murderer.