A deadly shooting spree in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district ended with the liquidation of the attacker by police special forces after he killed s people and took several hostages in a local supermarket.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Saturday, April 18 that the perpetrator was neutralized during a storming operation by elite KORD units.
According to the president, 10 people remain hospitalized with various injuries, and four hostages were successfully rescued during the assault. “The circumstances are being clarified. My condolences to the families and friends of the victims,” Zelensky stated, adding that he has instructed the Interior Ministry and the National Police to provide the public with all verified information.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko identified the attacker as a 58-year-old native of Moscow who utilized automatic weapons. Before barricading himself in the Velmart supermarket, the gunman opened fire on civilians and reportedly set fire to the apartment where he was registered.
Kravchenko emphasized the necessity of a decisive state response: “The state must act firmly and resolutely when it comes to threats to people’s lives. In such situations, there is no room for compromise.”
Later, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko noted on his Telegram channel that there are five more casualties in the Holosiivskyi district. Prior to that, medical personnel had hospitalized 10 wounded people.
The operation was a major effort involving the National Police, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and the Prosecutor’s Office. Among the 10 hospitalized victims is a child and a security guard from the store.
Investigators are currently working at the scene to establish the motives behind the attack and the origins of the weapons used.
This incident adds to a day of high tension in Ukraine, following a series of Russian drone and missile strikes across several regions, including a major attack on energy infrastructure in Chernihiv and targeted strikes on civilians in the Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions.