A horrific mass shooting in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv has left a minimum of five people dead and multiple others wounded, in an attack that unfolded in a busy residential district on April 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed.
The violence erupted in southern Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district, local law enforcement officials confirmed. According to initial police accounts, the 58-year-old attacker first opened fire on random civilians on a public street, before retreating to a nearby supermarket and taking bystanders hostage.
Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko told reporters that after the gunman exchanged fire with responding officers from inside the supermarket, law enforcement teams moved in and fatally shot the attacker. All four hostages taken by the gunman were successfully rescued without fatal harm, President Zelensky confirmed.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko updated casualty figures to note at least 15 people suffered injuries in the attack, 10 of whom – including one minor child – have been admitted to local hospitals for ongoing medical care. Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko clarified the breakdown of fatalities: four of the victims were killed during the initial street shooting, while one additional fatality occurred inside the supermarket.
Kravchenko also confirmed that the attacker is a 58-year-old man originally from Moscow, Russia, and that he carried out the attack using a fully automatic firearm. Unconfirmed reports suggest the shooter may have detonated an explosive device, and responding authorities confirmed a fire broke out at the attacker’s local apartment following the shooting. The motive behind the attack remains under active investigation as of publishing.