KEY POINTS:
• SBU Colonel Ivan Voronych was shot dead in broad daylight in Kyiv on July 10, 2025 • Ukrainian security forces killed two suspected Russian agents three days later
•  Original Guardian reporting on extremist group’s claimed responsibility
• The Base terrorist organization has been active in calling for Ukraine attacks since April 2025
The assassination of a senior Ukrainian intelligence officer has highlighted ongoing security threats facing Kyiv as multiple conflicting claims emerge about responsibility for the killing.
Colonel Ivan Voronych of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) was shot dead in a Kyiv parking lot in broad daylight on Thursday, according to Ukrainian authorities. The suspect fired five times at the victim with a silenced pistol, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing SBU sources.
Voronych is the highest-ranking SBU officer known to have been killed in Kyiv in a targeted assassination since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, making it one of the most brazen assassinations of a top-ranking Ukrainian officer on domestic soil by Russia since its full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Official Response and Counter-Operation
In the three days after Voronych’s death, the SBU mounted a special operation personally led by the agency’s top official, Lt. Gen. Vasyl Malyuk, to hunt down the killers. The two Russian agents were killed after resisting arrest and firing weapons, Malyuk said.
According to investigators, the pair had been ordered by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) to surveil Voronych’s movements and were later directed to a weapons cache containing a firearm with a silencer.
SBU head Lieutenant General Vasyl Maliuk said in a video published by the agency: “This morning, SBU forces were conducting an arrest operation of the agent-and-combat group of the Russian Federal Security Service, which was routed to Ukraine in advance and three days ago murdered an SBU officer, our brother-in-arms, Colonel Ivan Voronych”.
Unverified Claims and Terrorist Group Background
Multiple sources reference Guardian reporting that an extremist group called “The Base” claimed responsibility for the assassination through its Ukrainian affiliate “White Phoenix.” The International Telegraph was unable to access or verify the original Guardian reporting cited by these sources.
The Base is a neo-Nazi group and paramilitary training network formed in 2018 by Rinaldo Nazzaro. The group espouses accelerationist and white nationalist ideology and is designated as a terrorist organization in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union.
The FBI describes the group as a “racially motivated violent extremist group” that “seeks to accelerate the downfall of the United States government, incite a race war, and establish a white ethno-state”.
In April 2025, The Base solicited volunteers and offered financial rewards for attacks on power plants, military and police vehicles and government buildings in Ukraine, as well as for the assassination of Ukrainian military, police and political figures.
Group Leadership and Russian Connections
Nazzaro resides with his wife in Saint Petersburg, Russia, according to BBC News; an apartment in the city was purchased in his wife’s name in July 2018, the same month in which The Base was founded.
Although Nazzaro has previously denied having any contact with Russian security services, former members have suspected him of having Russian financial backing, and the leader has recently relied heavily upon Russian digital infrastructure for recruitment, propaganda, and incitement.
Nazzaro has repeatedly denied any ties to intelligence agencies. In 2020, he appeared on Kremlin state TV, claiming he had never had any contact with Russian security services.
Ongoing Investigation
The case was registered under Article 348 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, military serviceman, or public order official.
The SBU claimed to prevent 85% of similar attempted Russian attacks inside Ukrainian territory.
The investigation continues as Ukrainian authorities work to determine the full scope of those responsible for the assassination.
Editor’s Note: This article relies on verified reporting from established news sources. Claims regarding extremist group responsibility could not be independently verified due to inaccessibility of cited source material.
