Expendable Spies: Who Carried Out the Assassination of Colonel Voronych — and Why Moscow Won’t Save Them

Source: Author’s Facebook page
Details have emerged about the circumstances of the assassination of SBU Colonel Ivan Voronych, carried out by Russian agents acting deep inside Ukraine.

The murder was carried out by two Russian agents, who were tracked down shortly after the crime. The evidence of their involvement is as strong as it gets: the Russians treated them as disposable. Moscow refused to include them in any potential prisoner exchange — they held no value for the FSB. Acting purely for money, the agents knew nothing beyond the identity of their handler.

Both were eliminated when they attempted to resist arrest and flee. Now, even their ashes will disappear without a trace.

The perpetrators were identified as Gulalizada Khagani and Narmin Guliyeva. While both carried Azerbaijani passports, they were closely tied to Russian criminal groups.

Guliyeva entered Ukraine on May 15, crossing from Moldova via the Mayaky-Udobne border checkpoint.

Khagani attempted to enter Ukraine through the same crossing on February 27, 2025. However, Ukrainian law enforcement databases identified him as a known Mafioso. He was officially denied entry and banned from entering Ukraine until 2030. This means he later entered the country illegally and carried out the assassination while unlawfully present on Ukrainian soil.

The target of the assassins was Colonel Ivan Voronych — one of the key figures in Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression. Voronych had served as a senior officer in the 5th Counterintelligence Directorate of the SBU, a unit established in 2015 to carry out sabotage operations in temporarily occupied territories. Under his leadership, the unit eliminated dozens of high-profile Russian military and intelligence commanders.

In recent years, Colonel Voronych had transferred to a different SBU division but remained a marked man for Russian special services. He was one of the Kremlin’s most wanted enemies, decorated with Ukraine’s highest honors. His career was built not on politics but on results, and he earned deep respect from his comrades-in-arms.

According to preliminary reports, Voronych, unfortunately, lived at his registered address — an apartment listed in official databases. Russian agents reportedly staked out the entrance, tracked his movements, and organized the assassination shortly thereafter.

This marks the second confirmed assassination attempt by Russian intelligence against a Ukrainian government official in Kyiv during the full-scale invasion. Earlier this year, Russian agents attempted to kill a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the capital. He survived by a miracle.

Other terrorist attacks carried out by Russian operatives have targeted Ukrainian soldiers and prominent volunteers across the country — individuals whose efforts significantly strengthen Ukraine’s path to victory.

Russian special services have long been waging a campaign of terror in Ukraine, and it is increasingly clear that the scale of their operations — particularly the recruitment of agents from criminal circles — will grow. Likely, the recent wave of attacks and murders of Azerbaijani nationals in the Russian Federation is directly linked to the FSB’s efforts to coerce certain individuals into carrying out terrorist operations against Ukraine.

There is growing concern over the security of other well-known SBU officers who have actively contributed to the elimination of Russian leadership figures. One such officer is Colonel Roman Chervinsky, who remains under house arrest. This restriction must be lifted — house arrest leaves him dangerously exposed to Russian assassination attempts.

All members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, and prominent public figures must urgently review their security. If possible, they should avoid residing at registered or publicly known addresses. Russian special services will undoubtedly continue dispatching teams of hired killers to carry out targeted attacks.

Revenge for Colonel Ivan Voronych — a true Ukrainian hero — is far from over. The enemy will be held accountable more than once.

Colonel Voronych is fully deserving of the title Hero of Ukraine (posthumously).

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