A prominent Russian opposition politician and

former adviser to President Yeltsin, Galina

Starovoitova, has been shot dead in an apartment

block in St Petersburg.

Mrs Starovoitova -- a parliamentary deputy for the

reformist Democratic Russia party -- had

announced her intention of contesting Russia's

next presidential election in the year 2000.

She failed to secure registration for technical

reasons in the last election in 1996.

The police have not released any other details.

An aide who was with her Ruslan Linkov was

seriously injured.

Mrs Starovoitova, had advised President Yeltsin on

ethnic issues and human rights.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service

20 NOV 1998 21H50 GMT