At least six people killed in mass shooting in Ukraine

At least six people have been killed after a gunman opened fire on the street in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv then barricaded himself inside a supermarket with hostages before he was shot dead by police.

The head of Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, Ihor Klymenko, said in a statement on social media that special tactical police units stormed the store after attempts to contact the gunman with a negotiator failed. The attacker was killed while resisting arrest, he said.

Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said four people had been killed in the street and one inside the supermarket, where the suspect had brandished an automatic weapon.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that a sixth victim, a young woman, had died from her injuries after the shooting in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district.

Kravchenko said the shooter had been identified as a 58-year-old native of Moscow and a fire had broken 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 wounded.

“My condolences to the families and loved ones,” Zelensky said.

Speaking to reporters at the scene while wearing body armour, Klymenko did not speculate as to the attacker’s motive, but said that police negotiators spoke with the gunman for roughly 40 minutes.

“We tried to persuade him, knowing that there was likely a wounded person inside. We even offered to bring in tourniquets to stop the bleeding, but he did not respond,” Klymenko said. “Consequently, the order was given to neutralise him.”

Klymenko said the man was carrying a carbine – a shorter version of a rifle, which was legally registered. He said in December 2025, the shooter “approached the licensing authorities to have the weapon test-fired as the permit was expiring”.

“He provided 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.

Televised footage of the scene showed police taking cover in the shopping mall that housed the supermarket while shots were fired. Bystanders were escorted away from the scene.

AP, Reuters

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