Ukraine Says It Foiled Russian Plot to Kill Zelenskyy
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 have announced.
Two colonels in the State Guard of Ukraine, which protects top officials, were arrested on suspicion of carrying out 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.
The head of the State Security Service, Vasyl Maliuk, said the plot was for an attack before Russian President Vladimir Putin's inauguration for a fifth term on May 7.
Ukrainian claims of Russian efforts to kill Zelenskyy aren't new. Zelenskyy said in 2022 that there had been at least 10 attempts to assassinate him, and now the war with Russia has stretched into its third year.
Zelenskyy's movements are kept secret for security reasons, and his visits around the country are publicly announced only after he has left. News of events he holds in Kyiv is usually kept secret until they are over.
Zelenskyy has proved to be a valuable asset for his country as the war against Ukraine's bigger neighbor continues. He has encouraged his people to keep fighting and helped them believe that Ukraine can win.
The Ukrainian statement said the Russian intelligence agents sought out members of the Ukrainian military close to the president's security detail who could take Zelenskyy hostage and later kill him. The operation was run from Moscow, it said, providing the names of three Russians 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 two Ukrainian colonels were arrested on suspicion of treason, which carries a life sentence.
