In a critical development amidst the ongoing conflict with Russia, Ukraine’s security services have revealed the interception and disruption of an elaborate plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky and other high-ranking Ukrainian officials.
Ukrainian authorities disclosed the arrest of two Ukrainian security officials, colonels in the nation’s protective service, charged with high treason and conspiring to commit a terrorist act. The foiled plot, originally under the supervision of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) from Moscow, sought to recruit from within President Zelensky’s circle of bodyguards to both take him hostage and later execute him. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated that the network involved “leaked” confidential information to the Russian Federation, indicating a serious breach of national security protocols.
The SBU outlined that the Russian agents also intended to eliminate other senior leaders, including Vasyl Malyuk, the head of the SBU, and Kyrylo Budanov, the leader of Ukraine’s military intelligence. The assassination designs extended to the use of drones, RPG-7s, and anti-personnel mines. One of the captured colonels was intercepted whilst attempting to travel within Ukraine to collect explosives and drones and had been in contact with his FSB “curator.”
Part of the scheme—particularly targeting Budanov—was timed to precede Russian Orthodox Easter on May 5, in what was described as an “inauguration gift to Vladimir Putin.” The SBU, through counterintelligence efforts and assistance from Ukraine’s State Security Administration (UDO), responsible for the safety of state officials, managed to thwart the plot, demonstrating the agency’s vigilance and capacity to counteract such threats.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, the plot incorporated a phased approach beginning with a spy among Zelensky’s presidential guard observing movements and transmitting information. This would then progress to a missile attack on an official’s safe house, succeeded by kamikaze drone strikes, and a subsequent missile to obliterate any evidence of the drone’s usage.
This alarming revelation comes just as Vladimir Putin marked his fifth inauguration as Russian president—a position controversially retained through elections widely condemned by Western nations as manipulated.
The SBU’s disclosure also echoes the precariousness faced by President Zelensky, who has, since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, survived various attempts on his life. These attempts have pervaded not only his personal security but have also implicated those close to him, including a suspected poisoning directed at the wife of Kyrylo Budanov.
Relevant articles:
– Two Ukrainian security officials detained over Zelensky assassination plan, cnn.com, 05/07/2024
– Ukraine foils assassination attempt on Zelensky after Putin spies ‘tried to infiltrate bodyguards to kidnap & kill him’, The US Sun, 05/07/2024
– Ukraine Foils Assassination Plot Targeting Zelensky: The Russians Were Behind It, Novinite.com, 05/07/2024
– Ukraine foils assassination attempt on Zelensky after failed kidnap bid, The Mirror, 05/07/2024
– Ukraine Foils Plot To Assassinate Zelensky, Arrests 2 Security Officials, Leadership News, 05/07/2024