The brother of a Chechen rebel murdered in Berlin by a suspected Kremlin hitman has been told he is next on the list of targets, The Times can reveal.

The alleged contract killing of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, 40, who was shot in August while on his way to Friday prayers, has raised fears that no city in Europe is safe from Russia’s hit squads.

In his first interview with a western news outlet, Mr Khangoshvili’s brother, Zurab, 46, said that he had received intelligence that his own life was in danger. “I was asked to be careful,” he said. “I don’t go out alone.”