"On March 25, at about 10:30 Moscow time [07:30 GMT], a man killed the head of the Kirovsk administration, Ilya Kelmanzon, and utility services official Sergei Makimov using a TT handgun. The killer committed suicide at the scene," said Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the Investigation Committee of the Prosecutor General's Office.
A team of federal investigators has been dispatched from Moscow to investigate the killing.
Vladimir Shaposhnik, chair of the Kirovsk Council of Deputies, identified the killer as Ivan Ankushev, a 62-year-old local resident who ran a food store.
"Ankushev was born and raised in Kirovsk and many people knew him. He used to work at several municipal enterprises including at the Apatit fertilizer company, but had been recently involved in the trade business and running a food store," Shaposhnik said.
Police said the killer was able to enter the town hall without his handgun being detected, as there is no metal detector at the entrance.