Tragedy unfolded on Saturday in , when he also stormed a street and a supermarket, killing at least six people and injuring 15, before he was shot dead by police forces.
The timeline of the attack and the hostage situation
According to the official reports of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klimenko, the attacker opened fire in the Holosiyevsky district, killing four people on the street and another inside the shop. He then stormed into the supermarket, holding hostages and opening fire on the police who rushed to the scene.
Gunman opens fire in Holosiivskyi district, killing at least 5 people on the street.
He then took hostages inside a Velmart supermarket and fired at police.
Mayor Klitschko: ~10 injured, including a child, hospitalized. Attacker neutralized by special forces.
— World Monitor (@MonitorWarnow)
“The attacker in Kiev was neutralized during the arrest,” said Klimenko. “The special forces of the national police raided the shop where the attacker was. He had taken hostages and shot at a police officer. There had been previous attempts by the negotiators to get in touch with him,” which lasted 40 minutes.
In videos posted on social media, a gunman can be seen holding an automatic weapon and shooting anyone he sees on the street.
Kyiv: a gunman shot civilians at close range, set his apartment ablaze, then barricaded himself with hostages in a supermarket. Ukrainian KORD stormed the building after negotiations failed and killed the suspect. Authorities say he had Russian ties: Moscow-region origi
—General Quacker | General Quaker (@general_he42676)
The identity of the perpetrator
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko identified the attacker as a 58-year-old man born in Moscow. The items that raise questions are:
- The weapon: He used an automatic weapon, which he possessed legally, having secured a medical certificate.
- The past: He had a criminal record and, before hitting the streets, had set fire to the apartment where he lived.
- The connection to the front: He had lived for a time in the Donetsk region, at the heart of the war with Russia.
Such attacks are considered extremely rare for Ukraine, with the Security Service (SBU) fully investigating the motive of the attacker, investigating the incident as a terrorist act, while the area remains cordoned off.
Zelensky’s message and losses
“He took hostages and unfortunately one of them was killed. Four people died simply on the road,” said the Ukrainian president.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said police and the SBU are investigating a civilian attack in Kyiv. The suspect was born in Russia, had lived in the Donetsk region for years, and had a prior criminal record.
— 🚨Global Alert (@trendingnews911)
Volodymyr Zelensky, had earlier informed about the incident via Telegram, confirming the tragic account.
Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko has just reported that the attacker in Kyiv who opened fire on civilians has been eliminated. All the circumstances are being established. At present, 5 people have been confirmed killed. My condolences to the families and…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa)
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko added that a woman in her 30s, who was among the 15 injured (among them a 12-year-old), eventually succumbed to her injuries in hospital.
