Prominent St. Petersburg architect reportedly shot in front of 10-year-old daughter, possibly by Ukraine war veteran

Prominent Russian architect Alexander Suponitsky was shot and killed in St. Petersburg on Wednesday while walking with his 10-year-old daughter, according to local media reports that cite law enforcement sources.

Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed that a murder took place in an apartment building on Kremenchugskaya Street. Although authorities have not officially named the victim, multiple outlets identified him as 73-year-old Suponitsky.

According to investigators, the victim was escorting his daughter to school on the morning of October 8 when he encountered a neighbor near the building’s elevator. The attacker, identified by Fontanka as 49-year-old Konstantin Kozyrev, allegedly confronted the pair with a Saiga carbine rifle, ordered them to kneel, and then fatally shot Suponitsky in the back of the head.

RBC reported that Kozyrev then returned to his apartment one floor below, set it on fire, and took his own life.

Suponitsky was the founder and head of the SUART architectural group and a member of the Russian Union of Architects. He was known for designing multiple metro stations in St. Petersburg.

Kozyrev, according to Fontanka, had served as deputy CFO at the construction company Petrotrest. In July 2023, he became the subject of a criminal fraud investigation involving a 233-million-ruble ($2.9 million) breach-of-contract case. The case was ultimately dropped in the summer of 2025 due to the statute of limitations expiring.

Fontanka also reported that Kozyrev “may have recently returned from the combat zone,” though this has not been officially confirmed. According to the Telegram channel Shot, which is known for its close ties to law enforcement, Kozyrev and Suponitsky had a long-standing business dispute.