A senior officer of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) was shot dead in broad daylight on Thursday in central Kyiv, in what authorities suspect to be a targeted attack, the latest in a series of strikes on security personnel since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine’s Security Service confirmed the killing, stating that a criminal investigation had been launched into the “murder of an SBU employee in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv.” The service, however, did not release the identity of the victim or details about the weapon used.
Ukrainian media outlets, including the independent Ukrainska Pravda, identified the victim as Colonel Ivan Voronych, citing anonymous SBU sources. The report claimed the attacker used a silenced pistol, firing five times at the officer as he walked through a car park carrying bags.
Security footage circulating on social media appears to show a man being approached and assaulted by another individual who swiftly fled the scene after the attack.
While no official statement has confirmed Russian involvement, pro-Kremlin commentators have celebrated the incident. A Telegram channel associated with the Russian military, Rybar, said there were “plenty of motives” to target Colonel Voronych, both “within our special services and within Ukraine itself.” The channel alleged the victim worked in an SBU unit responsible for covert operations, including sabotage missions targeting Russian assets.
Russian war correspondent Alexander Kots called the killing “a good sign”, further fuelling speculation that Moscow was behind the operation.
Kyiv police speak
Kyiv police confirmed they had discovered “the body of a man with a gunshot wound” in the Holosiivskyi district, though they stopped short of confirming the identity or connecting the death directly to the SBU.
Crime scene footage released by local law enforcement showed investigators, dog handlers, and other units combing the area for evidence. No arrests have yet been made.
The killing adds to a growing list of targeted attacks on figures linked to both Ukrainian and Russian intelligence and military services. Since the start of the war, Moscow has repeatedly accused Kyiv of orchestrating high-profile assassinations on Russian soil and in occupied Ukrainian territories.
The SBU says the investigation is ongoing.
