US-founded extremist group claims killing of Ukrainian security service colonel in Kyiv
The Ukrainian branch of the American right-wing extremist organization the Base has claimed responsibility for the assassination of Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Colonel Ivan Voronych in Kyiv.
Voronych is the highest-ranking SBU officer known to have been killed in Kyiv in a targeted assassination since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
In a statement, the local affiliate — known as White Phoenix — praised its "comrades" for the July 10 killing of the SBU colonel in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv. Sources in the counter-terrorism field consider the group's claim credible, the Guardian reported.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Voronych was shot multiple times and died at the scene. The SBU later announced that it had killed the alleged Russian killers — a man and a woman — involved in the murder.
According to investigators, the pair had been ordered by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) to surveil Voronych's movements and were later directed to a weapons cache containing a firearm with a silencer.
Founded in 2018 by former Pentagon contractor Rinaldo Nazzaro, the Base promotes white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideology. It has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., U.K., and Australia.
Nazzaro has lived in Russia since 2019 and has consistently denied allegations of collaborating with Russian intelligence, although Western officials and media still suspect connections.
The Base has used encrypted messaging apps and propaganda networks to recruit globally. Its Ukrainian branch reportedly offers financial incentives for attacks on individuals and critical infrastructure.
