Ukraine releases chilling images of turncoat ex-pol’s assassination near Moscow: ‘A signal to all traitors and war criminals’
Ukraine has released chilling video and photos documenting its assassination of a pro-Russian former local pol who defected to Moscow — saying the killing should serve as a warning to “all traitors and war criminals.”
Ilya Kyva, 46, who had defected to Russia and was publicly labeled a traitor by Kyiv for siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime, was shot and knifed to death in a snow-covered park in the Odintsovo region Wednesday.
Photos released by the Security Service of Ukraine, a k a the SBU, the country’s spy agency, showed Kyva’s lifeless body lying in the snow surrounded by drops of blood.
Another image displayed the weapons used to kill the high-level target — a handgun and a knife — hanging from a nearby tree along with a pair of binoculars apparently used by the hitman to stalk his prey.
In disturbing video also released by the SBU, the suspected assassin is seen showing his stakeout position, which he jokingly dubbed his “office” with a “red carpet,” and a route for him to escape to a nearby bus stop.
Kyva’s daily routines and movements were said to have been meticulously studied as part of the special operation, which was carried out at the high-end Velich Country Club, located 12 miles from Putin’s main official residence, Novo-Ogarevo.
Kyva died at the scene from gunshot wounds, according to local authorities. Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched a murder investigation.
“[Kyva’s killing] serves as a signal to all traitors and war criminals who have sided with the enemy. Remember: Russia will not protect you. … Death is the only prospect awaiting enemies of Ukraine,” the SBU said in a statement.
Kyva, a former member of Ukraine’s parliament representing the Socialist party from 2017 to 2019, had fled to Russia by way of Spain before the start of the Russians’ war on Ukraine in February 2022. He stayed there until his death, often criticizing Ukrainian authorities, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, on state-controlled Russian television programs and on social media.
The defector, who had sought political asylum and citizenship from Russia, had been sentenced in absentia by a Ukrainian court to 14 years in prison for charges including treason and incitement to violence.
Ukraine military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov made it clear his country was responsible for Kyva’s killing.
“We can confirm that Kyva is the real deal,” he said. “This is the fate that befalls the biggest traitors of Ukraine, as well as the henchmen of the Putin regime.
“He was one of the biggest and most disgusting scum, a traitor and collaborator,” the spokesman added.
Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said Kyva’s death proves that Kremlin collaborators aren’t safe from retribution even within Russia.
“Regardless of the incident with Kyva, it is very important for everyone who actively cooperates with the Russian occupation administrations in one way or another to understand that their risks are extreme, even if they are located on Russian territory,” he said.
“Of course, the activity and capabilities of the Ukrainian special services have grown enormously over the past two years,” Podolyak noted.
Kyva’s “liquidation” comes two months after another pro-Russian ex-member of Ukraine’s parliament, Oleg Tsaryov, survived an assassination attempt in occupied Crimea.
Several prominent pro-war Russian figures have been assassinated since the start of the conflict in operations blamed by Moscow on Ukraine. The victims have included journalist Darya Dugina, war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky and former submarine commander Stanislav Rzhitsky.
The same day Kyva was shot dead outside Moscow, Oleg Popov, a former deputy of the Kremlin-backed Luhansk Regional Parliament, was killed in a car bombing also allegedly masterminded by the SBU.
All of the targets were listed in Myrotvorets, a sprawling unofficial Ukrainian database of people considered enemies of the state. On Wednesday, Kyva’s photo on the site was overwritten with the word “Liquidated” in blood-red letters.
With Post wires
