Moscow-Born Gunman Kills Six in Kyiv, Takes Hostages Before Police Shoot Him Dead

A gunman opened fire in Kyiv on Saturday, killing at least six people and taking hostages in a nearby supermarket before police shot and killed him, Ukrainian officials said.

“6 killed, 14 injured in Kiev shooting Six people were killed and another 14 injured on Saturday after a man opened fire on the streets of the Ukrainian capital, according to media reports”

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The incident happened in the southern Holosiivskyi district, where Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the attacker “began shooting at people on the street and then took others hostage in a nearby supermarket.”

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Klymenko said the attacker was killed in the supermarket following a shoot-out with police, and that police negotiators spoke to the shooter for around 40 minutes while he was in the supermarket.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 14 people were known to have been injured, including “a 12-year-old boy,” and he said four people had been killed on the street while a woman died later in hospital.

Zelensky also said the attacker killed a hostage and that “It has been established that the attacker set fire to an apartment before taking to the streets with a weapon.”

NPR and the BBC both described the same basic sequence—shooting on the street, then barricading inside the supermarket with hostages—while AP reporters saw victims’ bodies on a crowded street covered with emergency blankets.

The BBC reported that police negotiators tried to persuade the gunman and offered to bring in tourniquets, but the attacker did not respond before the order was given to eliminate him.

Across reports, authorities described a 40-minute standoff in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district that ended when special tactical police units stormed the supermarket after attempts to contact the gunman with a negotiator failed.

NPR said the mass shooting took place in a busy central district outside an apartment block and a nearby shopping center, leaving bodies on a crowded street as bystanders fled for safety, and it said the gunman was shot and killed by police after barricading himself inside the supermarket.

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The BBC said police negotiators spoke to the shooter for around 40 minutes while he was in the supermarket, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko described the man as “acting chaotically.”

Multiple outlets tied the attacker to Russia and to the Donetsk region: the BBC said Zelensky told reporters the shooter had lived in the eastern Donetsk region “for a long time,” while NPR said Zelensky said the attacker was born in Russia.

The BBC and other reports identified the attacker as a 58-year-old man, and the BBC said Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Ruslan Kravchenko, identified the shooter as a 58-year-old man from the Russian capital, Moscow.

The BBC also said the attacker used an automatic weapon and that “The weapon used by the attacker was officially registered, officials said,” while Le Monde with AFP reported that the prosecutor’s office confirmed a terrorism investigation and that the suspect was “a man born in Moscow in 1968.”

Zelensky’s account included a pre-attack arson element, with the BBC saying the shooter “set fire to his appartment before leaving to begin his shooting spree,” and NPR saying “It has been established that the attacker set fire to an apartment before taking to the streets with a weapon.”

Officials described negotiation efforts that included medical aid offers and a loudspeaker appeal during the standoff, while Ukraine’s security services characterized the killings as terrorism.

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The BBC quoted Klymenko explaining that negotiators tried to persuade the gunman, saying, “We offered to bring in tourniquets to stop the bleeding and so on. But he did not respond, so the order was given to eliminate him.”

NPR similarly said Klymenko told reporters, “We tried to persuade him, knowing that there was likely a wounded person inside. We even offered to bring in tourniquets to stop the bleeding, but he did not respond,” and it added that “Consequently, the order was given to neutralize him.”

During the 40-minute standoff, NPR reported that a female negotiator wearing body armor stood behind an armored vehicle and used a loudspeaker to urge the attacker: “The people are not to blame for this. Please let them go, and we will talk with you.”

Multiple outlets also said Ukraine’s security service described the killings as an act of terrorism: NPR said “Ukraine's security service, or SBU, described the killings as an act of terrorism,” while China’s Global Times reported that “The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) said Saturday that it is considering the shooting in Kiev as a terror act.”

Le Monde with AFP said the prosecutor’s office confirmed it had opened a terrorism investigation and that Zelensky urged “a swift investigation” into the shooting and said that “all the circumstances of the incident were being established.”

The BBC added that Klymenko said the attacker had not made any demands, and it reported that four hostages were freed after the order to eliminate him.

While authorities worked to determine the motive, residents and media accounts offered different emphases on what happened and how the incident was understood.

The BBC said the attacker’s motive is currently unclear and that the exact number of victims also remains unclear, even as Zelensky said 14 people were known to have been injured.

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NPR described the mass shooting as “unheard of in wartime Kyiv following Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022,” and it said the attacker was not named by police even though Zelensky said he was born in Russia.

Le Monde with AFP reported that the assailant’s motive was not immediately known and that Zelensky urged “a swift investigation,” while France 24 with AFP and Reuters said the assailant’s motive was not known and that Zelensky said “all the circumstances are being established,” urging “a swift investigation.”

Several outlets also differed on the number of dead: BBC and NPR both said at least six killed, while France 24 said “At least five dead in Kyiv shooting, suspected gunman killed” and also described “14 were hospitalised,” and Le Monde said “at least six people were killed.”

RFE/RL’s headline and body said “Six people were killed and 14 others injured in a daylight incident in Kyiv on April 18,” and the Express Tribune likewise said “killed six people” with 14 injured.

A resident quoted by NPR, 75-year-old Hanna Kulyk, said, “I knew him by sight. He seemed like an educated, refined man. You'd never guess he was some kind of criminal,” and she added, “He lived alone.”

In the aftermath, Zelensky and prosecutors said investigations would proceed, while officials and outlets described the immediate operational response and the status of hostages.

The BBC said rescue officials were still dealing with the scene and that police negotiators spoke to the shooter for around 40 minutes while he was in the supermarket.

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Le Monde with AFP said Zelensky urged “a swift investigation” and that “all the circumstances of the incident were being established,” while it also said the prosecutor’s office confirmed it had opened a terrorism investigation.

France 24 with AFP and Reuters reported that Ukraine’s SBU security service said on Telegram that the mass shooting was being investigated as a “terrorist act,” and it quoted Zelensky saying “The attacker in Kyiv who opened fire on civilians has been eliminated,” offering “condolences to the families and loved ones” of the victims.

NPR said Ukraine’s special tactical police units stormed the convenience store after failed negotiations, and it described hostages as supermarket customers and staff.

The BBC said four hostages were then freed, and it also said the attacker had not made any demands, while the Express Tribune said investigators from the National Police and the Security Service of Ukraine were examining all the circumstances of the attack.

The BBC said the circumstances surrounding the issuing of the permit and the shooting itself are now being investigated, and it reported that the weapon used by the attacker was officially registered.