Self-exiled Kazakh journalist Natalya Sadykova said the shooting of her activist and fellow journalist husband Aidos Sadykov in Kyiv was a "professional" operation, RFE/RL reported on June 19. 

The June 18 attack, in which the victim was hit in the temple, occurred just hours after the couple released a video critical of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and his "pro-Russian" stance.

Aidos Sadykov remained in intensive care in a "very serious condition" following brain surgery, his wife said. He was shot by an unidentified assailant while driving near an apartment block in Kyiv's Shevchenko district. Sadykova was in the car, but emerged unscathed.

In an interview with RFE/RL, Sadykova stated she saw the shooter's face, but she withheld further details, citing the ongoing investigation. She described the attacker as a "professional killer," noting the precise nature of the shooting, which targeted her husband with a single shot while the car was moving.

"The only thing I can say - he was a professional killer. We were driving by the courtyard. He shot at a moving object. He fired a single shot and hit his target. It was a very professional man, a hitman who was hired to kill Aidos," Sadykova said.

Sadykova added that the opposition in Kazakhstan has been "fully cleansed" by the Tokayev administration, but she did not present any evidence against Kazakhstan's leader connecting him with the shooting.

Sadykova mentioned that Ukraine's National Police chief Ivan Vyhivskiy, who arrived at the scene shortly after the attack, assured her that the investigation would receive special attention. The Prosecutor-General's Office of Ukraine confirmed that an investigation into the "attempted murder of a journalist, a citizen of Kazakhstan," was ongoing, but provided no additional information.

Tokayev made public comments about the attack on Sadykov, stating that the official authorities of Kazakhstan stood ready to join the investigation.

"All conflicts and disagreements in our society should be resolved exclusively in the legal field, based on current legislation, in accordance with the main international norms. It is from this perspective that the crime that took place yesterday in Kyiv against a citizen of Kazakhstan, Aidos Sadykov, should be viewed,” Tokayev said.

“I have instructed the diplomatic department and law enforcement agencies to send official requests to the Ukrainian side regarding this serious incident. If necessary, Kazakhstan's official authorities are ready to join the investigation to assist in identifying the truth," he added. 

Aidos Sadykov previously led the opposition Azat Social Democratic Party's branch in Aktobe region of Kazakhstan and later played a significant role in advocating for workers' rights at the Chinese-owned CNPC-Aktobemunaygaz oil company.

The couple fled Kazakhstan in 2014 after authorities launched a slander case against Natalya, who worked for the independent Respublika newspaper, shut down by authorities in 2016.

Since seeking political asylum in Ukraine, the Sadykovs have been operating their YouTube channel, which publishes content in Kazakh and Russian focusing on corruption and political issues in Kazakhstan.