On April 28, Kyiv law enforcement officers detained an intoxicated 31-year-old man who threatened pedestrians with a pneumatic pistol. According to the official statement by the Kyiv Police, the incident occurred on Verkhovna Rada Boulevard, sparking immediate concern among local residents who promptly called the patrol officers.
According to the investigation, a female passer-by noticed the man acting erratically with a weapon in his hand and asked a nearby group of men for help. When the men confronted the suspect, he reacted aggressively—swearing loudly, deliberately racking the slide of his gun, and aiming it directly at the crowd. Police arrived swiftly at the scene, disarming and detaining the suspect. A breathalyzer test administered on the spot using a “Drager” device showed 2.26 per mille of alcohol in his blood, indicating severe intoxication.
The seized weapon was identified as a pneumatic pistol, which, despite not being a lethal firearm, closely resembles a real gun and caused genuine panic among civilians. The man has been charged with hooliganism under Part 1 of Article 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, facing up to five years of restricted freedom.
Public anxiety regarding armed individuals on the streets of Kyiv has been exceptionally high following a deadly shooting incident earlier this month. On April 18, an armed man later identified as Dmitry Vasilchenkov went on a violent rampage in the Holosiivskyi district. He fired randomly at pedestrians before breaking into a “Velmart” supermarket and taking several hostages. Following intense negotiations, KORD special forces stormed the building and neutralized the active shooter. Vasilchenkov, a Moscow-born Ukrainian citizen who previously lived in Bakhmut, caused a major security shockwave in the capital.
The prolonged war has significantly exacerbated issues related to gun control and psychological trauma. Earlier in April 2026, the Head of the National Police of Ukraine, Ivan Vyhivskyi, stated that Ukrainian citizens legally possess over 1.16 million firearms and special defense means. However, authorities face a massive challenge with unregistered arsenals. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, police have confiscated approximately 20,000 illegal firearms and millions of rounds of ammunition, many of which are unregulated “trophies” brought back from frontline regions.
These staggering statistics highlight the ongoing difficulty of maintaining public safety in cities far from the active combat zones. While the weapon used in the recent Verkhovna Rada Boulevard incident was only pneumatic, the psychological toll on the war-weary population remains profound. The prompt and vigilant actions of ordinary citizens, who did not ignore the threat, were crucial in swiftly de-escalating the situation and averting a potential tragedy.