Colonel Ivan Voronych was a senior officer in Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), known for his decades-long service in Ukraine’s domestic intelligence and special operations. He commanded the secretive Fifth Directorate, a special operations unit responsible for covert sabotage and assassination missions targeting pro-Russian militants and commanders in eastern Ukraine. Notably, Voronych’s unit orchestrated the 2016 assassination of Arsen Pavlov, aka “Motorola,” a prominent leader among Russian-backed separatists, marking a significant psychological blow to pro-Russian forces. Voronych played a crucial role in Ukraine’s shadow war against Russia, including involvement in the bold August 2024 cross-border offensive into Russia’s Kursk Oblast. This operation demonstrated Ukraine’s capability for daring raids deep inside Russian territory and challenged Russian nuclear intimidation tactics, thereby influencing Western perceptions and support for Ukraine. On July 10, 2025, Colonel Voronych was assassinated in broad daylight in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district by a masked gunman using a silenced pistol. The killing was widely attributed to Russian intelligence services seeking retaliation against a key adversary in Ukraine’s covert operations. His assassination highlighted vulnerabilities in Kyiv’s security and represented a significant blow to Ukraine’s clandestine military efforts. Following the murder, Ukrainian authorities tracked down and killed suspected Russian agents involved in the assassination, underscoring the ongoing covert conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Voronych was highly respected among his peers, having earned Ukraine’s highest honors through active service rather than political means. His death is considered a major loss for Ukraine’s intelligence community and has intensified the shadow war dynamics amid the broader Russia-Ukraine conflict.