MOSCOW (AP) — Hundreds of local residents and journalists have come to pay their respects to a prominent journalist who died in a car bombing in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev earlier this week.

The gathering has seen journalists come from Ukraine and Russia to the memorial ceremony in Kiev on Friday. The 44-year old is to be buried in Belarus, in his hometown of Minsk, on Saturday.

Pavel Sheremet's killing on Wednesday in central Kiev sent shockwaves through the Ukrainian media community.

The Belarusian-born Sheremet had irked officials in Belarus and Russia before he moved to Ukraine, where he said there were fewer hurdles to independent reporting.

Authorities pledged to conduct a thorough and swift probe but provided no reason why they think Sheremet was killed.