Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) announced on July 13, 2025, that it had killed two Russian FSB operatives suspected of assassinating Colonel Ivan Voronych, a senior officer of the SBU, in Kyiv earlier this week. Voronych was fatally shot on July 10 in broad daylight while in a parking area, an attack captured on surveillance footage.
The two suspects, a man and a woman, were tracked down in the Kyiv region after the assassination. According to the SBU, the operatives had been instructed by their FSB handlers to monitor Voronych’s movements and retrieve a silenced pistol from a designated stash before carrying out the killing. Following the murder, the suspects attempted to evade capture but were located through coordinated efforts by the SBU and national police.
During the special operation to apprehend them, the suspects resisted arrest, leading to a firefight in which both were killed. Vasyl Malyuk, head of the SBU, emphasized that the only prospect for enemy agents on Ukrainian soil is death, underscoring the agency’s resolve in counterintelligence and security operations.
The assassination and subsequent elimination of the FSB agents highlight the ongoing covert conflict between Ukrainian and Russian intelligence services amid the broader war. The SBU has played a significant role in offensive operations, including sabotage and targeted killings, since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Russian authorities have yet to comment on the incident. The killing of Colonel Voronych and the swift response by Ukrainian forces mark another intense episode in the shadow war between Kyiv and Moscow’s intelligence agencies.