Senior Ukrainian Spy Ivan Voronich Shot Dead By Assassin In Kyiv

The attack happened on Thursday morning as Col. Voronich was crossing the street near a block of flats in the capital’s Holosiivskyi district. An unknown gunman approached him and reportedly fired five shots at close range before fleeing the scene.

Footage shared on Telegram captured the moment Col. Voronich was gunned down next to a row of parked cars. After the attack, a man can be seen running along the street in the opposite direction while stuffing a gun into his shorts, The Telegraph reports.

Roman Chervinsky, a former Ukrainian intelligence officer, said: “With five shots at close range while leaving the apartment today at 8am, the enemy killer did his dirty work.”

He added that Col Voronich had been “fighting the enemy since 2014”.

Ihar Mosiychuk, a former Ukrainian MP, confirmed that Col. Voronich died at the scene and blamed Russian special services for the killing.

Col. Voronich was reportedly the head of the 1st division of the 16th department in Ukraine’s security service, responsible for high-level operations including counter-terrorism and special missions.

The assassination comes as both sides in the Ukraine-Russia conflict continue to target key figures.

Last December, Ukraine’s security service killed a high-ranking Russian general and his assistant in Moscow when a device hidden in a scooter exploded. Earlier this year, Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, another senior Russian general, was killed in a car bomb attack in Moscow.

In September 2024, Russia’s federal security service claimed to have killed a Ukrainian spy allegedly plotting to assassinate a defence industry executive.

Meanwhile, Moscow has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent months, targeting civilians in Kyiv and Dnipro.

On Tuesday night, Russian forces fired 741 missiles and drones, breaking a record set only days earlier. Another 400 drones and 18 missiles were launched on Wednesday night in an assault lasting nearly 10 hours, killing two people in Kyiv, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Ukrainian president said: “This demands that we speed things up. Sanctions must be imposed faster, and pressure on Russia must be strong enough that they truly feel the consequences of their terror.”

Mr Zelensky will visit Rome on Thursday to meet Ukraine’s allies and discuss more funding for drone interceptors and air defence systems.