Ukraine arrests 2 military officials over alleged Russian plot to kill Zelenskyy

Europe, News May 8, 2024 , by IRIA No Comments

Ukraine’s security services claimed that the country’s counterintelligence investigators had foiled a Russian plan to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Two Ukrainian colonels have been arrested on suspicion of treason and ties to an assassination plan drawn up by Russia, officials said.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement that the plot had involved a network of agents, including the two Ukrainian colonels in the State Guard of Ukraine, that was run by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor agency to the KGB.

Vasyl Maliuk, the head of the Ukrainian State Security Service, said that the broad plan to assassinate the Ukrainian President anticipated an assault before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fifth-term inauguration on Tuesday. Maliuk mentioned overseeing the classified operation himself to monitor the scheme.

“The terrorist attack, which was supposed to be a gift to Putin for the inauguration, was indeed a failure of the Russian special services,” Maliuk said on the official Telegram channel.

Ukraine’s domestic security service SBU, similar to the American FBI, confirmed the two arrested colonels, who had been recruited into the Ukrainian army before the Russian invasion, had been assigned the mission to locate a person within the presidential guard’s inner circle who would kidnap Zelenskyy and subsequently assassinate him. The statement did not provide details on when the purported plot was disrupted.

Ukraine claims it foiled Russian plot to assassinate President Zelenskyy — *^{Ukraine’s security services arrested two Ukrainian colonels, claiming they foiled a Russian plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Image Credit: SBU)}*

An SBU report said that the two arrested individuals were also involved in a plot to “eliminate” other top Ukrainian officials including Vasyl Maliuk, head of SBU, and Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency. According to the SBU, Budanov’s assassination was planned to occur before May 5, Orthodox Easter Sunday.

The two men planned to provide the Russians with Budanov’s location to facilitate missile and drone attacks there, as per the statement. One of the detained men was allegedly responsible for transporting and storing drones and explosives for this operation.

Russia has not commented on the Ukrainian allegations about the “failure of the Russian secret service” plot to kill Zelenskyy and other top officials.

This is not the first time that Ukraine has put forward such allegations. Zelensky stated in 2022 that there have been at least 10 assassination attempts against him since the Russian invasion started.

In August 2023, authorities arrested a woman from Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine in connection with a conspiracy to assassinate Zelensky. She allegedly collected information about Zelensky’s upcoming visit to Mykolaiv to orchestrate a Russian airstrike targeting him. The SBU reported apprehending the woman in the act as she attempted to share intelligence with foreign forces.

Separately, a prosecutor in Poland announced in April 2024, that a Polish man was arrested on the accusations of spying for Russia’s military intelligence and in connection with an alleged scheme to assassinate President Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy has been a major figure in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and a crucial resource for Ukraine in the ongoing war. He has emerged as a dynamic and proactive leader for Ukraine, especially at a time when Kyiv is struggling to contain Russian attacks and its forces await reinforcements and weaponry. Zelenskyy has encouraged resilience among his people and fostered a sense of confidence in Ukraine’s ability to overcome challenges.

For security purposes, Zelenskyy’s movement and location are always kept confidential, and official announcements about his visits within the country are made after he has departed or arrived at the location, which is also heavily guarded. Reports about events he hosts in Kyiv are typically withheld until they conclude.