The man who opened fire in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv on April 18 first got into an argument with a neighbor, shot him with a traumatic gun, then ran into his apartment, took a firearm, and set fire to his apartment. He then went outside, opened fire on passersby, and went to a supermarket.
This was announced at a press conference in Kyiv on April 19 by the head of the National Police, Ivan Vyhivskyi, a correspondent for Suspilny reports.
The call came in at 4:32 p.m. about a conflict between citizens on the street. The police initially went to a “domestic quarrel.”
As the head of the National Police said, the man first shot a neighbor with a traumatic pistol, and only then returned to his apartment, took a firearm, set the apartment on fire, doused it with liquid. Then he went outside and started shooting at passersby and went to the supermarket.
The scene of a shooting in the Holosiivskyi district of the capital, which left six people dead and 14 injured. April 18, 2026. Social News/Ivan Antipenko
According to Ivan Vyhovsky, the attacker, a native of Moscow, served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 1992, mainly in the Odessa region, in the automobile troops. He retired in 2005, then left for the Russian Federation, and returned in 2017 and lived in Bakhmut, Donetsk region.
“They raised his social pages… and his views there are negative, you can't say that he had the position of a Ukrainian. And his neighbors characterize him as a secretive person,” Vyhivskyi said.
According to him, the attacker had “no children, no wife.”
Ivan Vyhivsky also confirmed that the shooter had previously been prosecuted for causing minor bodily harm, but reconciled with the victim in court, so the proceedings were closed. This is not a reason to revoke the weapon permit.
He received a certificate to extend his weapons permit on December 15, 2025.
“We are currently studying the medical documentation. That is, in order to obtain a permit, it was necessary to have a form confirming his mental state and whether the person does not use drugs… He received this certificate on December 15, 2025. On its basis, his term was extended. Although initially this weapon was declared wanted, because he did not come to renew it. Then he appeared with these documents and legally extended it,” the head of the National Police explained.
According to him, the police will check the medical facility and the circumstances of issuing the document.
Ivan Vyhivsky also said that in the supermarket where the attacker took hostages, negotiations were held with him for about 40 minutes. He did not make any specific demands, he only asked for one police officer to come to him for negotiations, pointing his weapon at employees and visitors. After that, the KORD special unit eliminated the attacker.
Security forces carry a wounded woman to an ambulance after a shooting in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv on April 18, 2026. Social News/Ivan Antipenko
Today, April 19, the Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko instructed the Head of the National Police, Ivan Vyhivskyi, to conduct an internal investigation into the actions of the police officers during the terrorist attack that occurred in Kyiv on April 18. In response, Ivan Vyhivskyi stated that the law enforcement officers have already been suspended from their duties for the period of the inspection.
This happened after the previous day, the capital's public media published a video where two police officers run away when they hear shots. The head of the Patrol Police Department of Ukraine, Yevhen Zhukov, resigned due to the actions of police officers during the terrorist attack in Kyiv.
As we reported, in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv yesterday, a man opened fire on passers-by on the street, and then burst into a supermarket, where he held those present hostage. The attacker was eliminated during the storming of the store. As a result of the shooting, six people were killed and 14 injured, including a child. The SBU qualifies the shooting of civilians as a terrorist attack.