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
A mass shooting in Kyiv on Saturday claimed the lives of six individuals, with at least 15 others wounded, according to Ukrainian officials. The attack began when a man fired at civilians on a street in the city’s Holosiivskyi district before moving into a supermarket, where he killed additional victims and seized hostages. The perpetrator, identified by Ukraine’s Attorney General Ruslan Kravchenko as a 58-year-old native of Moscow, was ultimately neutralized by authorities.
Investigation Into the Attack Continues
Officials are probing the events to uncover the shooter’s motives, classifying the incident as a potential “terrorist act.” Kravchenko stated that the assailant initially killed four people on the street before barricading himself inside the Velmart supermarket. There, he fatally shot a fifth individual and held several others hostage. The weapon used, an automatic firearm, was registered, as confirmed by Kravchenko.
“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,” said Valeriia, a police hostage negotiator, as reported by Reuters.
After the 40-minute standoff, the National Police’s Rapid Response Unit entered the store and engaged the gunman. According to Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, the shooter fired at officers during the assault and was killed. “He acted chaotically. He approached every person… he was simply shooting people point-blank,” Klymenko remarked.
Hostages Rescued, Motives Under Scrutiny
President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that four individuals held hostage by the shooter were successfully rescued. He added that investigators are working to piece together the attacker’s background and the reasons behind the violence. “Every detail must be examined, investigators are working with several theories,” Zelensky emphasized.
“He acted chaotically. He approached every person… he was simply shooting people point-blank,” said Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs.
Zelensky revealed the shooter had resided in Ukraine’s Donetsk region for an extended period and possessed a criminal history. Additionally, Kravchenko mentioned that the apartment linked to the suspect was set ablaze around the time of the attack. The incident marks the first mass shooting in Ukraine since the onset of the full-scale war in 2022, a rare occurrence despite the country’s widespread access to firearms.
