Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) announced Sunday that it had eliminated two Russian operatives believed to be behind the killing of an SBU officer in Kyiv last week. Authorities suspect Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) ordered the hit.
Ivan Voronych, a Ukrainian counterintelligence officer, was shot dead Thursday morning in what officials described as a targeted assassination.
The suspects—a man and a woman—initially went into hiding after the killing, according to an SBU statement. But Ukrainian security forces, in coordination with the National Police, tracked them down in the Kyiv region.
SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk said investigators uncovered the location of what he called “the enemy’s lair” through covert surveillance and counterintelligence operations.
“During the arrest attempt, the suspects opened fire. There was a shootout, and the traitors were eliminated,” Malyuk said in a video statement, appearing to stand near their bodies. “Let me remind you: the only future for the enemy on Ukrainian soil is death.”
According to the SBU, the suspects were instructed to monitor Voronych’s movements and daily routine. Once the surveillance phase was complete, they were directed to a safe house where a pistol equipped with a suppressor awaited them.
The SBU, Ukraine’s lead domestic security agency, also conducts sabotage missions targeting Russian assets. Last month, the agency reportedly led a drone strike on Russian airfields deep inside enemy territory.
Voronych’s assassination comes as Russia ramps up attacks against Ukraine. This past week marked both the largest and second-largest drone assaults of the war, which is now entering its fourth year.
