The brutal shooting of civilians in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv on Saturday, April 18, has been officially classified as a terrorist act. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced the initiation of criminal proceedings under the terrorism article. Meanwhile, the Office of the Prosecutor General confirmed devastating details regarding the casualties, noting that the parents of a young boy injured by the attacker were among those tragically killed in the massacre.
According to preliminary official data, the horrific sequence of events began in broad daylight when a 58-year-old man, armed with a legally registered rifle, opened chaotic fire on pedestrians on Demiyivska Street. The death toll currently stands at six, with approximately 15 others hospitalized with varying degrees of injuries. The injured include a baby suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning after the attacker intentionally set his own apartment on fire prior to his violent rampage.
After executing multiple people at close range on the street, the gunman forced his way into the “Velmart” supermarket on Holosiivskyi Avenue, taking several employees and customers hostage. Police negotiators quickly arrived at the scene and spent 40 minutes attempting to establish a dialogue with the barricaded suspect. Despite offers to provide medical tourniquets for a wounded hostage inside the store, the attacker refused to communicate and made no specific demands.
The standoff reached a fatal climax when the terrorist executed one of the hostages inside the supermarket. In response, the Ministry of Internal Affairs immediately authorized a tactical breach. Operators from the elite KORD police special forces unit stormed the building, successfully eliminating the active shooter and rescuing the remaining hostages, who were promptly evacuated for emergency medical care.
Authorities have identified the suspect as Dmitry Vasilchenkov, born on April 21, 1968. Although born in Moscow, Russia, he held Ukrainian citizenship. He previously resided in the front-line city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region before relocating to the capital. Given his background, law enforcement agencies are rigorously investigating his potential ties to the Russian Federation, probing unconfirmed reports regarding his possible allegiance to Russian military structures.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation regarding the tragedy, confirming that investigators are analyzing several potential motives for the devastating attack. The site of the incident remains cordoned off as SBU operatives, National Police investigators, criminologists, and explosive experts meticulously collect evidence. This unprecedented act of domestic terrorism has deeply shaken the country, prompting intense public discourse regarding civilian firearm regulations during the ongoing state of martial law.