Ukraine’s security service, known as the SBU, claims to have uncovered and thwarted a plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The SBU arrested a woman suspected of gathering intelligence on Zelenskiy’s movements. The woman was allegedly collecting information regarding Zelenskiy’s visit to the Mykolaiv region, which Russian sources suggested would be targeted in a major air assault.
President Zelenskiy was informed of the “fight against traitors” by the head of the SBU, according to Zelenskiy’s Telegram channel. This comes after a drone attack on Moscow earlier this year, believed to be orchestrated by the Ukrainian military, was described by the Kremlin as an assassination attempt on President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskiy had previously stated that he was aware of Putin’s desire to see him dead. Reports surfaced in February 2022, suggesting that over 400 Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group had been deployed to Kyiv with orders to assassinate Zelenskiy as part of a “decapitation strategy.” Additionally, it was claimed that Zelenski survived three assassination attempts in one week last year, with numerous others foiled over time.
The SBU revealed that they had uncovered the latest assassination plot in advance and had implemented heightened security measures during Zelenskiy’s visit. The suspect allegedly assisted Russia in planning a “massive airstrike” on the Mykolaiv region, attempting to acquire information about the location of electronic warfare systems and ammunition warehouses.
Officers from the SBU captured the woman while she was attempting to pass intelligence data to Russian secret services. She was detained in the town of Ochakiv and was discovered to have previously worked at a military base store. It is suspected that she took photographs and gathered information from personal contacts in the area.
The suspect may face charges of unauthorized dissemination of information about weapons and troop movements. If convicted, she could potentially serve up to 12 years in prison. The SBU continues to monitor the suspect in order to gather more information about her handlers and assignments.