The investigation established the full chronology of the shooting in the Holosiivsky district of Kyiv on April 18 and formed a detailed portrait of the attackerʼs personality.
This was reported by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
Investigators found that although the shooter had previously been prosecuted, he had two registered carbines and a traumatic pistol. He received his latest permit for weapons on the basis of a journalistʼs ID card issued by one of the public organizations (presumably, this is a traumatic pistol, since journalists have the right to traumatic weapons). SBU is investigating how he obtained the permits.
From the videos on the shooterʼs mobile phone, it is known that he systematically prepared for a mass shooting. At home, he practiced quickly bringing his weapon into combat readiness and shooting accurately. During this time, he called people "pigs" who he "will wet", used hate speech against Ukrainians, shouted Nazi salutes and called for violence on ideological grounds.
He showed particular hostility towards the neighbour who was the first victim of the attack. The trigger was a dispute over the intercom, which the killer repaired, but after that some residents could not get into the house.
Investigators have not yet identified any links to Russian intelligence services. Final conclusions regarding the shooterʼs motives, mental state, and sanity at the time of the crime will be made after the post-mortem forensic psychological and psychiatric examinations are completed.
Shooting in Kyiv: what is known
On the afternoon of April 18, a man opened fire on passersby in the Holosiivsky district of Kyiv. It all started with a quarrel with a neighbor, then he fired from a traumatic pistol near the entrance. After that, the man returned to his apartment, took a rifle, set fire to the apartment and went outside, where he randomly shot passersby.
Later, he barricaded himself in a supermarket and took the customers hostage. Law enforcement officers negotiated with him for 40 minutes, but when he killed one of the hostages, they launched an assault and eliminated the attacker.
The shooting resulted in 7 deaths and 14 injuries. Law enforcement officers have initiated criminal proceedings under the article on terrorist acts.
According to law enforcement, the shooter is a native of Moscow, previously lived in the Donetsk region for a long time. He has already been brought to criminal responsibility. The weapon from which the attacker fired is a registered carbine. In December 2025, he renewed the right to use this weapon. At the same time, he provided a certificate of his mental state.
After the shooting, the head of the patrol police department Yevhenii Zhukov resigned. This happened because of a video showing police officers running away from the shooter and leaving a civilian under fire. Zhukov is now an advisor to the head of the National Police.
Police officers Mykhailo Drobnytskyi and Anna Dudina, who arrived on call, are suspected of official negligence. On April 21, the Pechersky Court of Kyiv sent them to a pre-trial detention center for 60 days with the alternative of bail of UAH 266 000. Both law enforcement officers pleaded not guilty. The next day, bail was posted for them.
Journalists from Slidstvo.Info found out that Dudina actually works in the police not as a patrol officer, but as a senior housing inspector. She was brought on duty as reinforcement due to a shortage of more than 60% of patrol officers in Kyiv.
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