A senior Ukrainian intelligence officer was gunned down in Kyiv, and Ukraine now claims its forces have killed two individuals described as Russian agents responsible for the assassination. This dramatic sequence of events escalates the covert conflict playing out alongside intense frontline fighting. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) stated on Sunday that the suspected agents were tracked down and “liquidated” after they resisted arrest in a rapid response operation.
The killing of the Ukrainian officer occurred just days before this claimed retaliation. On Thursday, July 10, Colonel Ivan Voronych, a high-ranking officer within the SBU’s elite Special Operations Centre (Alpha), was shot multiple times. The attack happened in broad daylight in a Kyiv car park. CCTV footage verified by Reuters shows an unidentified assailant running towards Col Voronych shortly after 9:00 AM local time in the city’s southern Holosiivskyi district. The attacker fled the scene immediately after the shooting. Reports suggest Col Voronych’s unit was known for conducting high-risk operations and targeting Russian assets behind enemy lines.
Following the officer’s death, Ukraine’s security services launched an intensive manhunt. Vasyl Malyuk, the head of the SBU, personally led the operation to find those responsible. According to the SBU, the suspects—identified as a man and a woman—were agents working for Russia’s security service, the FSB. They were located in the Kyiv Oblast area on Sunday morning. Official Ukrainian statements claim the agents resisted arrest when confronted by SBU and National Police forces. A gunfight ensued, resulting in the deaths of both suspects. Ukraine’s national police confirmed the killing of two individuals described as “citizens of a foreign country.”
The SBU provided details about how the alleged assassins operated. They stated the suspects had been tracking Colonel Voronych’s movements and daily schedule prior to the attack. Surveillance footage reportedly captured the pair observing Voronych. The agency also claimed the agents were sent coordinates to a specific hiding place. There, they retrieved a pistol fitted with a silencer shortly before ambushing the Ukrainian officer. After the shooting, the alleged assassins reportedly attempted to evade capture and “lay low.” However, they were located through a joint investigation conducted by the SBU and the National Police. The SBU later released a video purportedly showing the bodies of the two individuals killed during the confrontation. Russia has not issued an immediate response to Ukraine’s claims.
This incident underscores the increasingly prominent and aggressive role the SBU has taken since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022. While traditionally focused on internal security and counter-intelligence, similar to agencies like the UK’s MI5, the SBU has reportedly expanded its operations. Sources within Ukraine’s security services have claimed responsibility for sabotage attacks and assassinations conducted deep inside Russian territory. These alleged operations target individuals deemed high-ranking Russian military officials or those considered collaborators with Moscow.
Specific instances widely reported and often linked by sources to the SBU include the killing of high-ranking Russian General Igor Kirillov in Moscow in December 2023. Kirillov headed the Russian military’s chemical weapons unit and was reportedly killed by a bomb planted on a scooter. Another alleged operation mentioned is the death of General Yaroslav Moskalik in a car bomb attack in Moscow in April, which the Kremlin blamed on Kyiv. While Ukrainian security services have never officially admitted responsibility for these deaths, the pattern suggests a deliberate strategy of targeting key figures beyond the frontlines. SBU chief Malyuk has issued strong warnings directed at enemy forces and collaborators within Ukraine, stating their only prospect is death. This latest event, the claimed killing of two alleged FSB agents inside Ukraine, represents one of the most direct actions taken by Kyiv against suspected Russian operatives on Ukrainian soil in recent months.
The killings occur amidst a period of intense military activity and rising tensions. Russian strikes on Ukraine have recently reached record levels, impacting cities and communities across the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine faced its largest ever Russian aerial attack recently, involving hundreds of drones and long-range missiles. The human toll remains significant, with June marking the highest monthly civilian casualties in Ukraine in three years, according to United Nations data.
Fighting also continues unabated along the frontlines in eastern and southern Ukraine. Russia’s military has reportedly been making slow but steady territorial gains in the eastern regions. Additionally, Russia has reportedly retaken control of most of its Kursk region, which Ukrainian forces had seized during a surprise offensive the previous summer. Against this backdrop of escalating violence and shifting territorial control, efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in the more than three-year-long conflict have repeatedly faltered. The reported killing of alleged Russian agents by the SBU inside Kyiv Oblast highlights the complex and dangerous “shadow war” being fought by intelligence services, adding another layer to the already volatile situation. This covert struggle involves high-profile reprisals and represents a significant escalation in the intelligence battle between Kyiv and Moscow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the Ukrainian intelligence officer killed in Kyiv?
The Ukrainian intelligence officer killed in Kyiv has been identified as Colonel Ivan Voronych. He was a high-ranking member of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), specifically serving in its elite Special Operations Centre, known as “Alpha.” Reports suggest Col Voronych was involved in leading high-risk missions, including sabotage operations behind enemy lines and potentially operations related to Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region the previous year. He was shot dead in a car park in Kyiv on July 10.
What happened to the agents Ukraine says killed the officer?
According to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), two agents working for Russia’s FSB security service were tracked down and killed after they allegedly assassinated Colonel Ivan Voronych. The SBU stated the suspects—a man and a woman described as foreign citizens—were located in the Kyiv region on Sunday morning, July 13. During an attempt to arrest them, the SBU claims the agents resisted, leading to a gunfight in which both were “liquidated.”
What is Ukraine’s SBU and its role in the conflict?
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) is the country’s primary intelligence and counter-intelligence agency, similar in function to the UK’s MI5. Its core focus is internal security. However, since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the SBU has reportedly taken on a significant role in conducting special operations, including sabotage attacks and alleged assassinations deep inside Russia. These operations are often seen as part of a “shadow war” targeting individuals deemed threats or collaborators.
