Russian Plot To Assassinate Ukraine President Zelensky Foiled, 2 Ukrainian Officials Held

Ukraine's SBU State Security Service said it had caught Russian agents within the Ukrainian state guard service plotting the kidnap and assassination of the president and other senior govt officials.

File photo of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

Source : getty

New Delhi: The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) on Tuesday claimed to have thwarted a sinister plot orchestrated by Russian operatives to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky and other prominent Ukrainian officials. 

This revelation comes in the wake of the arrest of two colonels from the Ukrainian government protection unit, who are alleged to have been part of a covert network operating on behalf of the Russian State Security Service (FSB). 

According to the SBU, these individuals were actively seeking accomplices among President Zelensky's bodyguards, with the chilling intent of orchestrating his abduction and subsequent murder. 

Furthermore, the SBU has disclosed that the targets of this nefarious plot extended beyond the Ukrainian president, encompassing other high-ranking officials such as military intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov and SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk, reported BBC.

The force said they arrested the two suspected “moles” who they believed had been recruited by Russia before their invasion.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed that a Russian secret agent divulged the coordinates of a safe house ahead of a planned rocket attack, indicating a calculated attempt to target the Ukrainian leader.

Moreover, the SBU said that Russia intended to obliterate any evidence of its involvement by deploying another missile to destroy the drone used in the assault. The Head of the SBU, Vasyl Malyuk said: “A limited number of people knew about our special operation, and I personally monitored its progress, as per Independent.

“The terrorist attack, which was supposed to be a gift to Putin before the inauguration, was actually a failure of the Russian special services.

“But we must not forget - the enemy is strong and experienced, he cannot be underestimated. We will continue to work ahead of time, so that every traitor receives the well-deserved court sentences.”

Ukrainian authorities, following the arrests of the two suspected officers implicated in the alleged plot, have claimed significant findings during subsequent searches.