NYT: SBU Colonel Voronich killed in Kyiv was in charge of operations in Kursk region and liquidation of Motorola
11 July 22:19
SBU Colonel Ivan Voronich, who was shot dead in Kyiv on July 10, headed a unit of the Alpha Special Operations Center that conducted an offensive in the Kursk region in 2024 and eliminated the militant Arseniy Pavlov (“Motorola”). The New York Times writes about this with reference to Ukrainian officials and colleagues of the deceased, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
Voronich served in the SBU since the mid-1990s. He was the commander of the so-called “Fifth Directorate”, which received technical support from the CIA and carried out complex operations, in particular against pro-Russian militants. During the full-scale war, he was a member of an elite unit that operated in the “gray zone” and conducted raids deep into the occupied territories.
The NYT writes that this unit played a key role in the raid on the territory of the Kursk region of Russia in August 2024.
Former SBU head Ivan Bakanov, who knew Voronich personally, said he was considering the version of a political assassination by Russia:
“It could be either a domestic murder or a public execution by the Russians. If it is the latter, the SBU must act immediately.”
As a reminder, the shooting took place in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv. According to former intelligence officer Roman Chervinsky, Voronych was shot five times at close range as he was leaving his home. The SBU did not officially name the deceased, confirming only that their officer had been killed.
The case was classified as an attempt on the life of a law enforcement officer (Article 348 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
