Russia suspected in the killing of a Ukrainian intelligence colonel in Kiev

Suspicion is growing that the hand of Russia is behind the murder of a Ukrainian intelligence colonel shot dead in central Kiev. This is according to a New York Times article that digs deep into the case of Ivan Voronych, a long-time officer of the Ukrainian Security Service (Sbu), who was gunned down in broad daylight in the Holosiivskyi district, with at least five shots fired at close range.

According to investigative sources, Voronych was one of the most experienced members of the Alpha Group, an elite unit of Ukrainian counter-intelligence that has been involved in operations behind Russian lines since 2014 and has become even more active after thelarge-scale invasion of 2022. The murder, the American newspaper points out, appears to be a targeted, military-style execution and fuels speculation of a retaliation carried out by Russian intelligence services or their intermediary. Despite the fact that the Sbu has launched a formal investigation, no statements have been made about a possible involvement of Moscow.

"Colonel Voronych took an active part in the fight against Russian aggression since 2014," said Ivan Bakanov, head of the Sbu in the first months of the war and who knew the officer personally, "If the motive was a murder of an internal nature, that would be one thing. But it could be a public execution carried out by the Russians, and that is a completely different story that would require a series of immediate measures on the part of the Sbu'. The episode provoked reactions in the pro-Russian camp. "The enemy must be afraid on his territory. For him there can be no safe place,' commented propagandist Aleksandr Kots, writing in Komsomolskaya Pravda, on Telegram. If Russia's role behind the murder is confirmed, it would be one of its rare successful covert operations since the start of the invasion.