SBU colonel killed in Kyiv played key role in Kursk offensive – NYT
SBU colonel killed in Kyiv played key role in Kursk offensive (facebook.com/SecurSerUkraine)
Colonel Ivan Voronych of the Security Service of Ukraine, who was shot dead in Kyiv on July 10, led a unit that played a key role in the offensive on Russia's Kursk region in the summer of 2024, according to the New York Times.
According to Ukrainian officials and Voronych's former colleagues, the slain SBU colonel was an officer of the Alpha special operations center and had served in the agency for decades.
Voronych began his service with the SBU in the mid-1990s. For a time, he commanded a special operations unit known as the Fifth Directorate.
The unit received technical support from the American CIA and was reportedly responsible for the assassination of Arsen Pavlov, a commander of the unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic, better known by his call sign Motorola.
According to colleagues, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Voronych became part of an elite unit operating in the gray zone between frontlines. This unit played a key role in Ukraine's offensive in Russia's Kursk region in August 2024.
Former SBU chief Ivan Bakanov, who personally knew the slain colonel, said Voronych had been deeply involved in countering Russian aggression since 2014.
"If the motive is domestic-related homicide, that's one thing. But this could be a public execution carried out by the Russians, which is a completely different story that would require a set of immediate measures from the SBU," he noted.
SBU colonel killed in Kyiv
On the morning of July 10, gunshots were reported in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district. Patrol officers, an investigative team, canine units, and detectives responded to the scene.
Upon arrival, law enforcement found the body of a man with a gunshot wound.
Later, RBC-Ukraine confirmed that the victim was Colonel Ivan Voronych of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
A criminal case has been opened under Article 348 of Ukraine's Criminal Code — attempted murder of a law enforcement officer or military serviceman, according to the SBU press service.
The SBU and the National Police are jointly conducting investigative and operational measures to determine the circumstances of the crime and locate the perpetrator.
The identity of the suspect has not yet been established. Efforts to apprehend the individual are ongoing.
For more details about the assassination attempt and the identity of the victim, see the full report by RBC-Ukraine.
