KYIV, Ukraine (AP) A Belarusian activist who ran a group in Ukraine helping Belarusians fleeing persecution was found dead in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, local police said Tuesday.

Vitaly Shishov, leader of the Kyiv-based Belarusian House in Ukraine, was found hanged in one of the citys parks not far from his home, police said in a statement.

A probe has been launched, with police investigating whether it was a suicide or a murder made to look like suicide, head of Ukraines National Police Igor Klymenko told reporters on Tuesday.

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is keeping a close eye on the case, according to his spokesman, Serhiy Nykyforov, while Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba promised on Twitter that Ukraine will do everything possible to fully investigate the case.

It is of utmost importance for us to reveal the truth about his tragic death, Kuleba said.

Shishovs Belarusian girlfriend, Bazhena Zholudz, told The Associated Press that she doesnt believe that he could have killed himself.

I dont believe in suicide, nothing in Vitalys conduct signaled his intention to kill himself, she said. He didnt leave any note or message. We were together that morning and he just went out for a jog.

Zholudz added that Shishov had recently noted that he was being shadowed. He recently noted vehicles and people who were following him, she said.