20:54
At least six people are dead and several more have been injured in a mass shooting after a man opened fire against civilians on a street in Kyiv on Saturday and then took hostages in a supermarket.
Axar.az informs according to RBC-Ukraine, the attacker began his rampage on Demiivska Street, where he set fire to his own apartment before moving through the area.
He then entered a Velmart supermarket, where he barricaded himself inside.
Special forces unit KORD arrived shortly after and spent around 40 minutes attempting to negotiate with him. After the gunman shot one of the hostages inside the store, officers stormed the building and neutralized him.
Authorities say at least six people were killed and 14 injured. Among the wounded is a supermarket security guard who was on duty at the time of the attack.
A four-month-old baby was also affected, suffering carbon monoxide poisoning in a nearby apartment after the attacker set fire to his own home before the shooting began.
According to Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, the attacker was a 58-year-old native of Moscow.
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The Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko has classified the incident as a terrorist act and said an investigation has been launched.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address that the attacker had previously been criminally prosecuted. He noted that the suspect had lived for a long time in the Donetsk region and was born in Russia.
“Everything about him is now being clarified, including why he committed so many crimes. Every detail must be checked. Investigators have several theories. All of his electronic devices, his phone, and all of his contacts will be examined,” Zelensky said.