The Ukrainian faction of The Base, an extremist group labeled as "terrorist" with alleged ties to Russia, has claimed responsibility for killing SBU colonel Ivan Voronich in Kyiv, according to The Guardian.
"This assassination marks just the start, not the conclusion <...> Our struggle for justice will persist," read a statement from the organization's affiliated Telegram channel.
The Guardian reports that The Base originated in the U.S. in 2018 and maintains global operations, including in Ukraine. The group reportedly funds attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and assassinations. Its founder, Rinaldo Nazzaro, relocated to Russia years ago and is described by journalists as a Kremlin-aligned operative.
"Agency" noted that Nazzaro resides in St. Petersburg and has been married to a Russian citizen since 2012. While some members of The Base have accused him of collaborating with Russian intelligence, he denies these allegations.
On July 10, SBU colonel Ivan Voronich was gunned down in Kyiv. Vasyl Malyuk, Ukraine’s security chief, asserts that FSB operatives carried out the attack but were neutralized during an attempted arrest.
Voronich led the SBU’s Fifth Directorate, which orchestrated the assassination of Arsen Pavlov (call sign "Motorola"), commander of the Donbas-based "Sparta" anti-tank unit, as reported by The New York Times citing sources.
Sources indicate Voronich joined the SBU in the mid-1990s and at one point commanded the Fifth Directorate—a CIA-backed special forces unit conducting sabotage missions in Russia and occupied territories. The same unit allegedly eliminated Motorola, according to the NYT’s informant.
Colleagues revealed that after Ukraine’s war began, Voronich operated in the "gray zone." NYT sources allege his unit was instrumental in Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August 2024.