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Top Ukrainian spy shot dead in Kyiv in suspected assassination: Report
An explosion of a drone is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian drone and missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, June 23, 2025. File Image/Reuters
A Ukrainian Security Service official was shot dead in Kyiv in an apparent assassination plot. The killing came as Russia launched a fresh wave of attacks on the Ukrainian capital city on Thursday, leaving at least two people dead and 16 others injured.
According to a report by CNN, an SBU spokesperson said that the official was killed in Kyiv on Thursday morning and that an investigation is underway to determine the reasons behind the killing. The security agency, however, did not give any other information.
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A CCTV footage purportedly shows a man exiting an apartment building in Kyiv during daylight, carrying a few bags toward a parked car. As he approaches the vehicle, a masked individual, seemingly armed, confronts him. The assailant appears to fire, and the man collapses. A bystander is seen fleeing the scene.
Ukraine's SBU is the country's main security service and is responsible for the drone attacks against Russian airfields last month, dubbed 'Operation Spiderweb'.
High-ranking officials killed by Kyiv
Meanwhile, Kyiv has been targeting senior leadership in Russia as President Vladimir Putin intensifies attacks on Ukraine. Earlier this month, Ukrainian strikes in Russia's Kursk region killed the deputy chief of the Russian Navy, Mikhail Gudkov.
It was one of the high-profile deaths in Russia's leadership as a result of Ukrainian strikes since the start of the war. Gudkov, 42, was the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy who led a brigade that fought in Ukraine.
Earlier this year, Russia's General Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in a car bombing in Moscow, an attack the Kremlin attributed to Kyiv. Ukraine's security services have not officially claimed responsibility.
Last year, a top Russian general accused of using chemical weapons in Ukraine was killed in a Moscow bomb attack. Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who headed Russia's radiological, biological and chemical protection forces, died after a bomb planted in an electric scooter detonated near the Kremlin.
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