Kyiv Gunman Kills Six After Opening Fire and Taking Supermarket Hostages

A gunman killed at least six people and wounded several others in Kyiv on Saturday before being shot dead by police after taking hostages inside a supermarket, Ukrainian authorities said.

Get today's headlines by email

The attack unfolded in the southern Holosiivskyi district of the capital, where the suspect first opened fire on people in the street before entering a nearby store and holding several individuals captive.

Officials said the motive behind the shooting remains unclear.

Shooting on the Street

Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko, said the attacker began shooting randomly at people outdoors, killing four victims in the street.

President Volodymyr Zelensky later confirmed that at least 14 people were injured in the incident, including a 12-year-old boy. A woman believed to be about 30 years old later died in hospital from her injuries, bringing the death toll higher.

Authorities also said the gunman killed one of the hostages after entering the supermarket.

Investigators have identified the suspect as a 58-year-old man originally from Moscow, according to Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Ruslan Kravchenko. Officials said he used an automatic weapon that had been legally registered.

Hostage Negotiations

Police negotiators attempted to resolve the situation peacefully after the gunman barricaded himself inside the supermarket with several people.

Klymenko said officers spent about 40 minutes speaking with the man, describing his behaviour as erratic and unpredictable.

“We tried to persuade him, realising that there was an injured person there,” the minister said.

Police offered to deliver medical supplies, including tourniquets, to treat the wounded inside the store. However, officials said the gunman did not respond to the proposals.

The situation escalated when the attacker killed one of the hostages, prompting authorities to order police to storm the premises. The suspect was killed during a shoot-out with officers inside the supermarket.

Four hostages were subsequently freed, officials said.

Investigation Under Way

Authorities are investigating both the circumstances of the attack and how the suspect obtained a permit for the weapon used in the shooting.

Zelensky said the gunman had lived for a long period in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine. Large parts of the region have been under Russian occupation and were already the focus of a separatist conflict before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The president also said the suspect had set fire to his apartment shortly before carrying out the attack.

Rare Incident in Wartime Kyiv

Although Kyiv has frequently faced missile and drone strikes during the ongoing war with Russia, mass shootings are uncommon in the city.

Officials have not yet provided further details about the suspect’s background or any possible motive for the attack.

Authorities say the investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.

Join the discussion?

Already a member?

Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 19 April 2026

View full article