Revenge After 9 Years: Man Who Killed Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Commander Blown Up in Car

Ukrainian special services eliminated Oleg Shutov in occupied Donetsk. He was allegedly involved in the assassination of Major General Maksym Shapoval of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence.

LB.ua reported the information, citing sources in the security services.

The operation took place on July 27, 2026, in Donetsk’s Leninskyi district.

Explosives were used to kill him and had been planted in advance on his Subaru. The explosion occurred after Shutov arrived at the Dynamo sports facility.

To avoid publicizing Shutov’s death, local Telegram channels started publishing reports claiming that the incident was allegedly caused by a drone attack.

Oleg Shutov worked for the so-called “Ministry of State Security of the DPR”. Ukrainian law enforcement officials consider him one of the perpetrators of the assassination of Major General Maksym Shapoval of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence.

After execution the operation, Shutov left Ukraine for Russia and later moved to the occupied part of Donbas.

He has also been linked to the assassination of SSU Colonel Oleksandr Kharaberiush. In March 2017, his car was blown up in Mariupol, killing the colonel.

According to Ukrainian law enforcement officials, Russian intelligence operatives were involved in organizing these assassinations.

The organizers are said to include Russian Lieutenant General Dmitry Minaev, head of the FSB’s Department of Counterintelligence Operations, and his subordinate Vasily Yevdokimov, known by the nickname “Lenin,” who headed the Special Operations Center of the so-called “Ministry of State Security of the DPR.”

Shutov continued to work for the occupation authorities in Donetsk. He also headed the local Judo and Sambo Federation.

Major General Maksym Shapoval of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine

Maksym Shapoval was a Ukrainian military intelligence officer, an officer of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and commander of the 10th Separate Special Operations Detachment of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.

After graduating from the Military Institute of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Shapoval began his service with Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence as an officer in the encrypted communications and security division. He also participated in the UN peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone and later commanded a team of reconnaissance divers. Between 2010 and 2012, he served in the State Guard Department of Ukraine.

In 2013, Shapoval took command of the 10th Separate Special Operations Detachment of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence. His unit participated in combat operations in the Donbas, including the operation to retake Donetsk Airport in May 2014. Shapoval also led intelligence missions behind enemy lines.

Car Bombing

On June 27, 2017, a car carrying Major General Maksym Shapoval of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine was blown up in Kyiv. The explosion occurred in the morning on Solomianska Street.

Shapoval was killed instantly. Three other people were injured in the blast.

Investigators determined that an explosive device had been planted under the car in advance. Ukrainian law enforcement classified the explosion as a terrorist attack.

In 2019, Vasyl Hrytsak, SSU chief at the time, stated that Shutov had prepared the groundwork for the assassination. According to the SSU, he rented an apartment in the building where Shapoval lived, as well as a parking space near where the general’s car was parked.