According to media, the Department of Public Relations Research Affairs of Ukraine in Kiev reported that Buzyna was shot at around 12:20 (CEST) in Shevchenko district, near his house. An official from the Interior Ministry, Anton Herashchenko, claimed that the gunmen escaped in a dark blue Ford Focus car with a foreign license plate.

Buzyna was a controversial figure in Kiev as a journalist, TV presenter and former editor-in-chief of the Russian language Kiev-based newspaperSegodnia. He was known for his pro-Russia views and was a key witness in a criminal case related to a pro-Russia rally in Kiev. Previously in 2012 he had run for a seat in parliament on the Party of the Regions ticket.