A human rights activist has been shot dead in the Russian state of Kabardino-Balkaria in the Caucasus.

Maksharip Aushev, a prominent politician and businessman in Ingushetia, was gunned down in his car. He was one of the people behind a critical website ingushetia.org.

The site was set up by Magomed Yevloyev, a human rights activist who died in a police cell last year.

The number of attacks in the Caucasus has increased sharply this year.

Moscow blames the attacks on extremist Muslims and criminal organisations. The website links the deaths of the two men to their human right activism.