Media Report Assassination Attempt on Fire Point Co-Owner – ‘Somewhat Exaggerated,’ He Says

Fire Point co-owner and chief designer Denys Shtilierman responded with dark humor on Thursday, Oct. 1, after an Israeli journalist published an unverified report claiming that he had survived an assassination attempt near Kyiv.The claim came from journalist Sergei Auslander, who cited an unnamed source and explicitly warned that the information required additional verification.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.According to Auslander’s source, Shtilierman sustained minor injuries during the alleged attack, one of his security guards was killed and the attackers were “eliminated.”Auslander wrote:“I was told by a source – the information needs additional verification, although the source has not let me down before – that there was an attempted assassination of the head of Fire Point near Kyiv.”He provided no further details about when or precisely where the alleged attack occurred, the number or identities of the attackers, or which Ukrainian agency may have confronted them.Shtilierman responds with dark humorShtilierman later addressed the claims in a brief post on X.“Rumors of my death or the deaths of my security guards are somewhat exaggerated,” he wrote.The statement suggested that neither Shtilierman nor his guards had been killed. However, he did not directly confirm nor deny that an attack had occurred, nor did he comment on the claim that he had been slightly wounded.Kyiv Post could not independently verify Auslander’s report. As of publication, Ukraine’s National Police and the Ukrainian Security Service had not publicly confirmed an assassination attempt involving Shtilierman. Other Topics of Interest 46,230 Russian Troop Losses in September, Moscow Prepares 120,000 New Conscripts Ukraine says Russian losses surged 45.8% from January to September as Moscow prepares to send 120,000 conscripts to duty stations this fall. Fire Point had also not released an official statement describing any attack or casualties among the company executive’s security team.Fire Point’s role in Ukraine’s defense industryShtilierman is a co-founder and the chief designer at Fire Point, one of Ukraine’s prominent privately owned defense manufacturers.The company produces FP-1 and FP-2 strike drones, as well as the FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile and several missile projects (GP-7 and FP-9) under development.Ukraine’s General Staff said Fire Point manufactured over half of the country’s deep-strike drones used in August and September 2025.The company’s weapons have been linked to Ukrainian long-range operations against Russian oil refineries and military-industrial facilities. Shtilierman has also publicly discussed the development of Ukrainian ballistic missiles potentially capable of reaching Moscow.The strategic importance of Fire Point and its growing public profile make any reported attack on its leadership particularly sensitive.However, Auslander’s claims remain unconfirmed, and no evidence identifying the alleged perpetrators or their possible motive has been made public. Yuliia Zavadska is a news writer at Kyiv Post. She has experience in breaking news coverage, fact-checking, and digital journalism, with a focus on fast, accurate reporting and clear storytelling. Before joining Kyiv Post, she worked as a news feed editor for several leading Ukrainian media outlets.