Colonel from Ukraine's domestic spy agency shot dead, manhunt ongoing

A senior officer in Ukraine’s domestic security agency was shot dead in a residential parking lot in Kyiv on Thursday (July 10), prompting a manhunt as authorities launched a murder investigation.

The victim, a colonel in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), was gunned down in broad daylight in the capital’s southern Holosiivskyi district. The assailant fled the scene on foot, Kyiv police said.

“The Security Service and the National Police are taking a comprehensive set of measures to clarify all the circumstances of the crime and bring the perpetrators to justice,” the SBU said in a statement. Neither the police nor the agency disclosed a possible motive for the killing.

An SBU official confirmed to Reuters that the victim was a colonel, while Ukraine’s state-run Ukraiinska Pravda outlet identified him as Ivan Voronych, citing an unnamed source. According to that report, the assailant fired five rounds from a pistol.

Surveillance footage captured attack

CCTV video verified by Reuters showed a man in jeans leaving a residential building and walking towards a car park. Another man then approached and appeared to shoot him multiple times before running away.

Reuters was able to geolocate the footage to Kyiv by matching visual elements such as the guard box, surrounding buildings and the layout of the car park with existing satellite and file imagery. The timestamp on the video and reporting from the scene confirmed the date of the attack.

The SBU, Ukraine’s main domestic intelligence and security agency, has expanded its role since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. It has taken on missions well beyond its traditional counterintelligence remit, including sabotage operations and covert strikes behind Russian lines.

Authorities have not indicated whether the killing is linked to the agency’s activities in the war or if it stemmed from personal or criminal motives. The investigation remains ongoing.

With inputs from agencies