Deadly shooting in Ukraine leaves 6 dead after gunman opens fire and takes hostages in Kyiv supermarket
Deadly shooting in Ukraine leaves 6 dead after gunman opens fire and takes hostages in Kyiv supermarket
President Zelensky highlights ongoing investigation into motives
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the importance of uncovering the shooter’s motives during a press briefing, stating that investigators are working to piece together every detail about the man who carried out the attack. Zelensky noted that the perpetrator had resided in the Donetsk region for an extended period and possessed a criminal record, though the exact reasons for his actions remain under scrutiny.
“Every detail must be examined, investigators are working with several theories,” Zelensky said.
Shooter’s path from street to supermarket
A 58-year-old man, born in Moscow, was identified as the assailant by Ukraine’s Attorney General Ruslan Kravchenko. According to preliminary reports, the individual fired on pedestrians in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district, killing four before entering a Velmart supermarket. There, he fatally shot a fifth person and detained several others as hostages. Kravchenko described the attack as a potential “terrorist act,” with officials still analyzing the full sequence of events.
“He acted chaotically. He approached every person… he was simply shooting people point-blank,” said Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs.
Hostage situation and final confrontation
A police negotiator, Valeriia, recounted the tense exchange with the gunman during a special operation. “We arrived following a call and learned that an armed man was inside the Velmart supermarket. A special operation was launched, during which I spoke with him for 40 minutes. He made no contact during 40 minutes,” she explained to Reuters.
After the 40-minute standoff, special forces from the National Police’s Rapid Response Unit entered the premises. The shooter, who had already wounded multiple individuals, fired at the officers during the assault and was subsequently killed. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, confirmed that one additional victim succumbed to injuries in the hospital, while nine others were hospitalized and six received treatment on-site.
Unusual incident amid low frequency of mass shootings
Kravchenko revealed that the apartment linked to the suspect was set ablaze around the time of the attack. This detail adds a layer of complexity to the case, suggesting possible premeditation or coordination. Mass shootings are uncommon in Ukraine, despite the widespread availability of firearms. Since the full-scale war began in 2022, no similar incident has occurred, and only a few have taken place in the country’s post-independence history.
