A senior officer with Ukraine’s domestic security service, the SBU, has been shot dead in a brazen daylight attack in the capital Kyiv. CCTV footage verified by Reuters shows the officer, reportedly Colonel Ivan Voronych, being gunned down in a car park in the southern Holosiivskyi district on Thursday morning around 9:00 a.m. local time.
The assailant, dressed in casual clothing, approached the officer swiftly and fired five shots before fleeing the scene. The attack was carried out with a pistol, according to local media outlet Ukrainska Pravda. The SBU has not confirmed the officer’s identity but acknowledged the killing and said an investigation was underway. “A comprehensive set of measures is being taken to clarify all the circumstances of the crime and bring the perpetrators to justice,” the agency said in a statement.
Kyiv police also confirmed the incident, reporting that the victim died at the scene from gunshot wounds. Authorities have yet to release a motive, and no suspects have been apprehended.
This assassination comes just two days after what Ukrainian officials described as Russia’s largest aerial assault since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. On Tuesday, a wave of 728 drones and 13 missiles targeted multiple Ukrainian cities. Overnight into Thursday, further strikes hit eight districts in Kyiv, killing at least two people and injuring 16.
The brazen shooting raises questions about internal security in the Ukrainian capital, particularly as the SBU has played a prominent role in covert operations within Russian territory. Ukrainian intelligence has been linked to several high-profile operations, including the car bombing of Russian General Yaroslav Moskalik in Moscow earlier this year and the December 2024 killing of Russian General Igor Kirillov.
The conflict continues to escalate on multiple fronts. Russian forces have reportedly retaken portions of the Kursk region seized by Ukrainian troops in 2023 and continue to advance in the east and south. Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts have stalled, with U.S. President Donald Trump showing signs of frustration toward Russian President Vladimir Putin. The latest killing in Kyiv adds to the growing volatility as the war stretches into its fourth year.
