Ukraine's state security service recently disclosed the apprehension of two individuals plotting the assassination of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other high-ranking officials, intending it as a "gift" for Russian President Vladimir Putin's new term inauguration. These individuals, identified as colonels within Ukraine's state guard service, were recruited by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and had been leaking classified information to Moscow, according to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The SBU revealed that the agents were assigned to locate someone within the presidential guard to capture Zelenskyy and subsequently execute him. However, the statement did not specify when the authorities thwarted the alleged scheme.
SBU Chief Vasyl Maliuk commented that the planned terrorist attack, meant as a gesture to Putin during his inauguration, ultimately failed due to the vigilance of Ukrainian security services. There has been no immediate response from Moscow regarding these allegations.
This revelation follows previous reports of a man's arrest in Poland on charges of collaborating with Russian intelligence to orchestrate a potential assassination attempt on Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian president has previously disclosed that his security forces have intercepted multiple Russian plots to assassinate him.
In addition to targeting Zelenskyy, the spy group allegedly planned to "eliminate" Maliuk and Kyrylo Budanov, head of the military intelligence agency. The SBU disclosed that the planned assassination of Budanov was intended to occur before Orthodox Easter Sunday, with the agents aiming to provide Russian operatives with information on Budanov's whereabouts to facilitate missile and drone attacks. One of the arrested individuals was reportedly involved in transporting and storing drones and explosives for this operation.
