On 18/4, an attacker opened fire on civilians in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv, then rushed into a nearby supermarket, taking hostages and barricading himself inside, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko stated that police negotiated with the gunman for about 40 minutes, noting the attacker "acted chaotically."

"We tried to persuade him," Klymenko said. "We offered to bring in bandages for first aid, knowing there were injured people inside. The suspect murdered one hostage, so an order to neutralize him was issued."

The attacker was shot down during a shootout with police. 4 hostages were rescued. The incident resulted in 6 deaths and 14 injuries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, "The suspect took hostages, and unfortunately, one person was murdered. 4 people died on the street. A woman was severely injured and died at the hospital." He extended condolences to the victims' families.

Ukraine's Chief Prosecutor Ruslan Kravchenko identified the gunman as a man born in 1968 in Russia. The weapon used was a legally registered automatic rifle.

Ukrainian police cordoned off the area around the supermarket where the hostage situation occurred in Kyiv on 18/4. Photo: AFP

Ukrainian officials are investigating the attacker's motive. A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry noted that they have not yet confirmed the suspect's Russian nationality.

Tetyana, a supermarket employee, heard multiple explosions in the warehouse, after which customers began screaming "run!". "We ran and hid behind the refrigerators. There, I could hear an injured man groaning," Tetyana recounted to AFP.

Neighbors described the attacker as a quiet person who had lived in the area for at least 10 years. He had set fire to his rented apartment near the supermarket before the incident.

By Nhu Tam, with reporting from AFP, BBC, and Reuters