At least six people have been killed after a gunman opened fire on a street in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and then barricaded himself inside a supermarket with hostages before being shot by police.
The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, said in his statement on the social network that special tactical police units raided the store after attempts to contact the gunman and a mediator failed. The attacker was killed while resisting arrest, he said.
Chief Prosecutor Ruslan Kravchenko said four people had been killed on the street and one inside a supermarket, where the suspect had drawn a weapon directly.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that the sixth victim, a young woman, died from her injuries. He was one of 10 people hospitalized after being shot in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district.
Kravchenko said the shooter was identified as a 58-year-old native of Moscow and the fire broke out in the Kyiv apartment where the suspect was registered.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later confirmed that four hostages had been rescued and that at least 14 people had been injured.
“My condolences to the family and loved ones,” Zelensky said.
Speaking to reporters at the scene while wearing body armor, Klymenko did not speculate on the attacker’s motive, but said that police negotiators spoke with the gunman for about 40 minutes.
“We tried to convince him, knowing that there was probably someone injured inside. We even offered to bring a bandage to stop the bleeding, but he didn’t respond,” Klymenko said. “Therefore, an order was issued to stop him.”
Klymenko said the man was carrying a carbine – a shortened version of a rifle, which was legally registered. He said in December 2025, the shooter “approached the licensing authority to have the weapon tested as the license was expiring”.
“He issued a medical certificate. He had also submitted an application to renew his permit for the weapon. That is all we can say for now,” he said, adding that the investigation will determine which medical institution issued the certificate.
Television images from the scene showed police hiding in a shopping mall with a supermarket as shots were fired. Spectators were escorted out of the scene.
