ISTANBUL

Ukraine claimed Sunday that its security services killed two "Russian agents" suspected of involvement in the fatal shooting of a Security Service (SBU) colonel in the capital Kyiv last week.

In a statement, the SBU said the two “agents of Russian special services” were killed after resisting efforts to detain them during a morning “special operation” in the Kyiv region.

The announcement came days after the killing of SBU Col. Ivan Voronych in Kyiv, which triggered a high-profile investigation.

The operation was overseen by SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk, the statement said, adding that the ongoing investigation determined both suspects — a man and a woman — carried out the killing “on the instructions of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.”

"Their supervisor ordered them to monitor the SBU officer, establish his daily schedule and travel routes. Later, the informant gave the killers the coordinates of the cache where the pistol with the silencer was located," the statement added.

Maliuk also thanked personnel from Ukraine’s National Police for their support during the operation.

The police said in a Telegram statement that the suspects were foreign nationals, without providing further details.

There has been no immediate comment from Russian authorities regarding the claim.