A top Ukrainian spy was gunned down in Kyiv in broad daylight Thursday in an attack being blamed on Russia, reports said. 

Ukrainska Pravda reported that Col. Ivan Voronych from the Security Service of Ukraine was attacked by an unidentified person at approximately 9 a.m. local time. This assailant shot at him five times with a handgun before escaping. A video, which allegedly captures the attack, shows a man being assaulted as he approaches a car next to an apartment complex.

A Ukrainian agency spokesperson mentioned that a criminal inquiry has been launched into the killing of an SSU officer in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv. “The Security Service along with the National Police are diligently working to uncover all details of the crime and ensure those responsible are brought to justice,” they stated.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, Voronych succumbed to several gunshot injuries and was declared dead at the location. The Telegraph noted that he oversaw a unit within Ukraine’s security service responsible for managing high-profile special missions and counter-terrorism efforts.

A suspect is seen running away from the area after the shooting on Thursday, July 10, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (East2West)

“Police officers are establishing the circumstances of the shooting in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv,” the Kyiv Police wrote on Telegram. “Arriving on a call, law enforcement officers discovered the body of a man with a gunshot wound.” 

Police investigate a shooting on Thursday, July 10, outside an apartment building in Kyiv Ukraine. Col. Ivan Voronych of the Security Service of Ukraine reportedly was killed in the attack. (East2West)

“The person involved in the crime is being identified, and measures are being taken to detain him,” police added. 

The attack comes after a Russian general was killed in a car bombing outside of Moscow in April.

Russian authorities said at the time that Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik was killed by an explosive device that was placed inside his vehicle in Balashikha.

Images taken at the scene of that bombing showed a burned Volkswagen Golf car outside an apartment building.