Kyiv Supermarket Mass Shooting Leaves Six Dead, Including Parents of 12-Year-Old Boy
A horrific mass shooting in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district on Saturday has left six people dead and fourteen injured, including a 12-year-old boy whose parents were among the victims. The attack, carried out by a 58-year-old Moscow-born gunman, has been declared a terrorist act by Ukraine's security service.
Police Storm Supermarket After Failed Negotiations
Special forces were forced to storm a local supermarket after forty minutes of unsuccessful negotiations with the suspect, who had barricaded himself inside with hostages. The gunman was shot dead during the operation. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko revealed that the attacker moved down the street firing at people without warning before entering the supermarket. "He was simply shooting people at close range. He approached and shot them," Klymenko stated, adding that victims had "very little chance of survival."
Among the injured was a four-month-old infant who suffered carbon monoxide poisoning after the attacker set a nearby building alight. Doctors treated six people at the scene, with one person later succumbing to their wounds in hospital.
Suspect Identified as Moscow Native with Criminal Record
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko identified the shooter as a native of Moscow, born in 1958, who was brandishing an automatic weapon. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the suspect had a criminal record and had set fire to his registered apartment before taking to the streets with the gun. The president noted the man had lived in the eastern Donetsk region, a focal point of the ongoing war with Russia.
"Everything that can be known about him and why he did this is being clarified," Zelensky said. "The investigators have several versions. All his electronic devices, phone, all contacts will be checked."
Neighbors described the suspect as a reclusive figure who avoided social interaction. "He didn't want to communicate with anyone," one neighbor told Reuters. "When I sat outside on the street - he knew me by my face - he would greet me briefly and hurry off to run his errands."
Zelensky Warns of Broader Russian Threat
In his nightly video address, President Zelensky described the shooting as occurring in the "leafy Holosiivskyi district" and issued a stark warning about broader Russian aggression. Citing intelligence from Ukraine's top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Zelensky expressed concerns over "road construction in areas leading to Ukraine and the establishment of artillery positions... in the Belarusian border area."
"We believe that Russia will once again try to involve Belarus in its war," the president declared, characterizing Vladimir Putin as "a global threat" seeking control over neighboring countries.
Ongoing Military Developments
The supermarket attack occurred against the backdrop of continued hostilities across Ukraine. According to Ukraine's military, Russia lost nearly 1,100 troops in the previous 24 hours, bringing total Russian casualties since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022 to approximately 1,318,220.
Overnight Russian attacks killed one civilian and wounded dozens across northern and eastern Ukraine. Ukraine's air force reported that Russia launched 219 drones overnight, with 190 being shot down. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drone strikes targeted industrial areas in Russia's Samara region, including cities housing large oil refineries.
Ukraine's SBU security service also claimed strikes on two Russian landing ships and a warship based in Crimea. According to Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, recent strikes on Russia's oil logistics have reduced total daily oil shipments by approximately 880,000 barrels.
Shootings of this nature remain extremely rare in Ukraine, where cities face regular Russian airstrikes. "I was shocked when I saw photographs of the people who had been killed," said Lesia Rybzha, 45. "I still can't understand why, on top of (Russians) killing us with airstrikes, people are being killed on the streets as well."
