In Sumy, One of the Local Right Sector Leaders Shot Dead: Police Consider Two Versions

An unknown assailant shot Ivanina in the parking lot next to his car, in front of his wife.

On the evening of October 27, 28-year-old Right Sector representative Oleksandr Ivanina was killed in Sumy, Obozrevatel reports.

The man was shot dead near the entrance of a building in front of his wife. Police are considering two versions: a contract killing and a murder committed over personal animosity.

The crime took place at about 21:00 on Zalivna Street, 1. About it, Facebook reported Serhiy Suprun, head of the Sumy branch of Right Sector.

What is known

According to law enforcement, Ivanina was hit by three bullets in the back and one in the chest. He died on the spot.

The regional National Police department relayed the words of the victim's wife: upon returning home, the couple got out of the car and headed to the house when an unknown man ran up to them and fired seven or eight shots from a firearm at her husband.

As of October 28, law enforcement continued priority investigative actions aimed at establishing the circumstances of the incident and the person involved in the crime.

Among the motives, investigators are considering a contract killing related to the victim's activities, and a murder over personal animosity.

The body was sent to the morgue for forensic examination to establish the cause of death. A criminal case has been opened under Part 1 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine ("Intentional Homicide"). The Sumy Regional Prosecutor's Office is leading the procedural oversight.

What happened on the day of the tragedy

According to Serhiy Suprun, Oleksandr and his wife Anya drove up to the entrance of their building, and the man got out of the car to take things from the trunk.

"At that time, a man was sitting nearby on a bench. As the witness describes, he saw Sanya, took out a weapon and started shooting. He fired several shots," Suprun said Sumy.today.

The outlet added that the body of the slain activist lay between cars in the parking lot beneath the high-rise. Shots damaged the windows of two cars: a Tavria parked in the same row, and a Renault Megane in a parallel row, ten meters from the body.

Vladimir Krupetskikh, spokesperson for the Sumy Regional National Police, told Suspilne that a report of the murder of a man born in 1992 came in at 21:10 on Wednesday. Initially, it was a gunshot wound, and law enforcement officers immediately rushed to the scene.

What is known about the victim

Oleksandr Ivanina was one of the leaders of the Right Sector cell in Sumy. In the 2020 local elections he ran for the Sumy City Council from the Right Sector party but was not elected.

Recently, the man had spoken out against raising fares on private minibuses in the city. On October 27 he posted a video of his speech at a city council session on Facebook , which became his last post on social media.

For his part, Serhiy Suprun links the murder of his comrade to his "anti-criminal activity".

"Most likely, it is connected with anti-criminal activity. He publicly exposed the activities of certain individuals," added the head of the Sumy branch of Right Sector.

Right Sector leader Andriy Tarasenko reacted to Ivanina's death on Facebook. He stated that the killers will be punished, as this is a "matter of honor".