Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko instructed the Head of the National Police, Ivan Vyhivskyi, to conduct an official 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 duty for the period of the inspection.
On April 19, the Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko and the Head of the National Police Ivan Vyhivskyi announced this on their social media pages.
“'To serve and protect' is not just a slogan. It must be backed up by appropriate professional actions. Especially at critical moments when people's lives depend on it,” Klymenko's Telegram post reads.
He promised that the results and decisions of the internal investigation will be made public by the National Police as soon as possible. He also instructed to provide all information about the incident to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
People near 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
The Head of the National Police, Ivan Vyhivskyi, announced on his Facebook page that police officers were suspended from performing their duties for the period of an official investigation and verification of their actions during the terrorist attack in Kyiv.
According to him, it is necessary to establish all the circumstances of the shooting without exception, video footage and witness statements, and all the collected information will be transferred to the State Bureau of Investigation.
A policeman at the scene of a shooting in the Holosiivskyi district of the capital, which left six people dead and 14 injured, Kyiv, Ukraine, April 18, 2026. Social News/Ivan Antipenko
Yesterday, after the terrorist attack, the capital's public media published a video where two police officers are near a man sitting on the street. And after they hear shots, they run away, leaving the man alone.
Police officers at the scene of a shooting in the Holosiivskyi district of the capital, which left six people dead and 14 injured, Kyiv, Ukraine, April 18, 2026. Social News/Ivan Antipenko
What is known about the terrorist attack in Kyiv on April 18?
In the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv on the evening of April 18, 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 were injured, including a child. The SBU qualifies the shooting of civilians as a terrorist attack.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said the suspect is a 58-year-old native of Moscow. As President Volodymyr Zelensky stated, the attacker has previously been brought to criminal responsibility. He lived in the Donetsk region for a long time and was born in Russia. According to him, investigators have several versions of why the man started shooting, and are continuing to investigate.