Colonel Ivan Voronych of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) was shot dead in Kyiv on 10 July. The New York Times has information that he had taken part in a number of special operations, including the killing of Russian militant Arsen Pavlov, alias Motorola, and led a unit that advanced into Russia’s Kursk Oblast in 2024.

Source: The New York Times

Details: As reported by NYT citing anonymous colleagues of Voronych, the colonel served in the Alpha Special Operations Centre and had worked for the SSU for several decades.

He began his service in the mid-1990s and later commanded the Fifth Directorate – a unit that received technical support from the CIA and was involved in the killing of one of the commanders of the unrecognised Donetsk People’s Republic, Arsen Pavlov, alias Motorola.

It is noted that after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Voronych was part of an elite group operating in the grey zone.

NYT says this unit played a key role in the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ advance into Russia’s Kursk Oblast in the summer of 2024.

The SSU has confirmed the killing of its officer and announced that it is investigating the circumstances. However, no details have been disclosed. NYT writes that officials have not suggested Moscow’s involvement in Voronych’s death.

"Colonel Voronych took a very active part in countering Russian aggression since 2014," former SSU head Ivan Bakanov, who knew Voronych personally, told NYT. "If the motive is domestic-related homicide, that’s one thing. But this could be a public execution carried out by the Russians, which is a completely different story that would require a set of immediate measures from the SSU".

Background:

• On the morning of 10 July, a colonel of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) was shot dead in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district. An Ukrainska Pravda source stated that at around 09:00, a man approached SSU Colonel Ivan Voronych and fired five targeted shots from a pistol, then fled the scene of the crime.
• As a result of the shots, Voronych suffered multiple penetrating gunshot wounds and died at the scene.

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