Ukrainian counterintelligence investigators say they have foiled a Russian plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top military and political figures.

Ukrainian counterintelligence investigators have foiled a Russian plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top military and political figures, Ukraine’s state security service said Tuesday.

Two colonels in the State Guard of Ukraine, which protects top officials, were detained on suspicion of enacting the plan drawn up by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, a statement said. The colonels were recruited before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to the statement.

It quoted the head of the State Security Service, Vasyl Maliuk, as saying the plot foresaw an attack before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration for a fifth term on Tuesday. Maliuk said that he personally oversaw the top-secret operation to track the plot.

Ukrainian claims of Russian efforts to kill Zelenskyy aren’t new. Zelensky said in 2022 there has been at least 10 attempts to assassinate him, and now the war with Russia has stretched into its third year.

Also, prosecutors in Poland said last month that a Polish man had been arrested on allegations of being ready to spy on behalf of Russia’s military intelligence in an alleged plot to assassinate Zelenskyy.

  • Billiam@lemmy.worldEnglish
    68·
    2 months ago

    Stop sending people to kill me. We’ve already captured five of them, one of them with a bomb and another with a rifle… If you don’t stop sending killers, I’ll send one to Moscow, and I won’t have to send a second.

  • gregorum@lemm.eeEnglish
    462·
    2 months ago

    Ukraine is very good at 2 things: 1) building combat drones out of spare parts and trash and 2) catching Russian assassins. Also, pissing off Russia, which makes #1 and 2 very valuable.

    Edit: also a third: attracting Putin trolls 😂
    (Thx to the mods for keeping things tidy)

  • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
    26·
    2 months ago

    Two colonels in the State Guard of Ukraine, which protects top officials, were detained on suspicion of enacting the plan drawn up by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB

    Damn. That’s pretty high up the totem pole.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    4·
    2 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    Two colonels in the State Guard of Ukraine, which protects top officials, were detained on suspicion of enacting the plan drawn up by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, a statement said.

    It quoted the head of the State Security Service, Vasyl Maliuk, as saying the plot foresaw an attack before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration for a fifth term on Tuesday.

    Zelenskyy’s movements are kept secret for security reasons, and his visits around the country are publicly announced only after he has left.

    Zelenskyy has proved to be a valuable asset for his country as the war against Ukraine’s bigger neighbor grinds on, and as Kyiv’s depleted forces wait for more troops and weapons.

    The operation was run from Moscow, it said, providing the names of three alleged Russian spies behind the conspiracy.

    The broader plan was to identify the location of senior Ukrainian officials and target them with a rocket attack, followed by drones and missiles.

    The original article contains 381 words, the summary contains 158 words. Saved 59%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!