Counterintelligence investigators in Ukraine have thwarted a Russian plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky and other high-ranking military and political figures, according to Ukraine’s state security service. Two colonels from the State Guard of Ukraine were detained for their involvement in the plan orchestrated by Russia’s Federal Security Service. These colonels were recruited before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The plot aimed to target Zelensky before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fifth term inauguration. Ukrainian authorities have claimed there have been multiple attempts on Zelensky’s life since the ongoing conflict with Russia began. In a separate incident, a Polish man was arrested for allegedly spying on behalf of Russia’s military intelligence as part of a plot to assassinate Zelensky.
The Ukrainian statement revealed that the Russian intelligence agents planning the attack on Zelensky had approached members of the Ukrainian military close to the president’s security detail with the intention of taking him hostage and eventually executing him. The operation was said to be directed from Moscow, with three alleged Russian spies identified as orchestrators. The broader plan included targeting senior Ukrainian officials with rocket attacks, followed by drones and missiles.
The two Ukrainian colonels have been arrested on charges of treason, which carries a potential life sentence, according to the statement.
