From dialogue police to RORU: what is known about Valeriya Kryvenko, who tried to stop the "Holosiivskyi shooter" for 40 minutes

From dialogue police to RORU: what is known about Valeriya Kryvenko, who tried to stop the "Holosiivskyi shooter" for 40 minutes

Negotiations with the "Holosiiv shooter" who took hostages and barricaded himself inside the VelMart store on Demiivka were led by Valeria Kryvenko. She is the head of the analysis and negotiation sector of the Kyiv RORU. It was she who held the megaphone in her hands and offered the terrorist to make contact in order to "find a way out of this situation." Unfortunately, the shooter had other plans - he shot one of the hostages, and then died during the assault on the premises by RORU fighters.

About this reports Informator.

Valeriya Kryvenko’s competence was described by the spokesperson of the National Police of Ukraine, Yuliya Hirdvilis. She noted that the situation in the store and around it was tense, so it required maximally coordinated and professional actions from the police and the RORU special unit. She is a professional negotiator and part of it.

"It is worth separately noting the role of the RORU negotiator. Police officer Valeriya took on an extremely difficult mission - to establish contact with an armed man and do everything possible so that all hostages could leave unharmed. The shooter got what he deserved. Because he took the lives of innocent people," - Hirdvilis said in a Facebook post.

Before becoming a "police negotiator", that is, a negotiator in RORU, Valeria worked in the dialogue police. Photo: National Police of Ukraine

During the press briefing of the Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, the negotiator was also given the floor. Valeriya Kryvenko said that she tried to maintain contact with the terrorist for a certain time, but ultimately failed. It was her voice that witnesses of the police operation on Demiivka heard - she clutched the megaphone and repeatedly tried to reach the shooter, saying that it was possible to find a way out of the situation, one just needed to talk.

"The special operation began. For about 40 minutes I was communicating with him, but during all that time he never made contact. We didn’t hear shooting (inside the store - Ed.), but I didn’t hear him either," - said Valeriya Kryvenko in a comment.

Kryvenko works as the head of the analysis and negotiation sector of RORU. According to the negotiator’s declarations, she joined the police back in 2020 - first working as an inspector for juvenile prevention and a patrol officer, then becoming an inspector in the preventive communication department. This is the same "dialogue police" that ensures public order during rallies, demonstrations, football matches, etc.

In 2024, Ms. Valeria transferred from the dialogue police to RORU. She already had initial skills in communicating with citizens (everyone knows that passions do not boil as strongly anywhere as at rallies in Ukraine). And in March 2026, Valeriya Kryvenko became the heroine of a special story for Women’s Rights Day and International Peace Day.

"The police gave me a lot of knowledge, taught me a lot. We attended various trainings, went to study abroad. But when the institution of police negotiators was introduced in Ukraine, I realized that for me it was a challenge, that I wanted to learn further and stand guard for more serious negotiations," - Ms. Valeria said in a comment to this video.