The murder of the mayor of Simeiz in 2013. Suspected attacker arrested 13 years later – photo

Law enforcement officers have detained a suspect in the murder of Simeiz mayor Kyrylo Kostenko, which took place in 2013. This was reported by National Police of Ukraine and Office of the Prosecutor General.

The murder took place in February near the administrative building of the Simeiz village council in the then-unoccupied Crimea. According to law enforcement, an unknown person fired at the official's car, killing him on the spot.

After the shooting, the shooter tried to destroy the evidence: investigators found a burned car with weapons inside. It was in this vehicle that the suspect committed the shooting and then fled. Law enforcement officers eventually established the attacker's escape route and obtained his image. Law enforcement officers collected evidence that allowed them to identify the suspect. He was a repeatedly convicted native of Lviv region born in 1979.

on January 15, the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, together with the National Police restored the materials criminal proceedings that were lost after the temporary occupation of the peninsula. According to the case file, the attacker tracked the schedule and route of Mayor Simeiz in advance, prepared weapons and a car.

After the shooting, the shooter temporarily left Ukraine. Despite the long time that had passed since the loss of the materials, investigators and prosecutors managed to find and recover most of the evidence. After that, law enforcement officers took comprehensive measures and detained the suspect on January 28, 2026, in Lviv.

The issue of choosing a preventive measure in the form of detention is currently being decided. Also, preparations are underway to serve a notice of suspicion on the fact of premeditated murder committed in a manner dangerous to the lives of many people.

• on February 26, 2013, in Crimea killed the mayor of the resort village of Simeiz, 41-year-old Kirill Kostenko. It happened near the local administration building. The mayor arrived at work, but before he could even get out of his car, he was shot with an assault rifle. Kostenko was shot four times and died on the spot.
• Later, law enforcement officers found a burnt VAZ car with a damaged assault rifle. The main version of the village head's murder is his trade union activities. It is also known that Kostenko figured in land scandals.
• In September 2021, the police announced detention of the killer.