Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara has been detained on suspicion of intentional murder of businessman Serhiy Starytsky, Deputy Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko has said.

"Kozhara has just been detained by police on suspicion of intentional murder of Serhiy Starytsky. Now he is being taken to court to choose a preventive measure," Gerashchenko wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday.

He noted that Starytsky's corpse with a gunshot wound had been found in Kozhara's house in the early hours of February 22, while the shot was fired from the award weapon of the owner of the house.

"Kozhara and his wife initially and still claim that Serhiy Starytsky had committed suicide. Investigators and prosecutors checked the circumstances of the death of the former director of Inter TV channel and came to the conclusion that he could not shoot himself," Gerashchenko wrote.

As reported, police in Kyiv region said they were investigating the possible suicide of a 56-year-old Kyiv resident in the village of Chaika.

The ezine Mirror of the Week (Dzerkalo Tyzhia) said businessman Starytsky was shot dead in the house of former Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara. The preliminary version of the police was suicide.

The ezine said the shot was fired from a Jericho 941 pistol registered with Kozhara.

Atlantic Group Advertising Holding reported on Facebook that its CEO Starytsky was killed late Friday night. Starytsky co-founded Atlantic Group in 1992. The professional asset of Starytsky is under management of the Inter TV channel and the Department of International Relations of the Ukrainian State Television and Radio Company.