(RepublicanNews.org) – A plot to kill the president of Ukraine has been foiled, according to the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU). Two colonels in the government protection unit have been arrested and stand accused of secretly acting as agents for the Russian State Security Service (FSB). According to Ukrainian officials, the alleged double agents were found to be searching for members of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s bodyguard team willing to kidnap and murder him.
The foiled plot comes as the latest in a long line of unsuccessful attempts on the Ukrainian leader’s life, with the inaugural attempt being made at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Back in February 2022, Russian paratroopers tried to land in Kyiv to kill Zelenskyy in the dead of night but merely became the first of many failed assassinations. Zelenskyy, who calls himself Russia’s top target, is said to have survived dozens of attempts on his life since the outbreak of war.
As well as the president, the plan also targeted Kyrylo Budanov, the head of military intelligence, and Vasyl Malyuk, the head of SBU. While their locations are generally kept under wraps to prevent an assassination, the SBU claims that a mole had been employed to provide the would-be killers with Budanov’s whereabouts. The plot involved finding Budanov and killing him with drones, rockets, and even anti-tank grenades. According to the SBU, one of the arrested officers was found to have already bought landmines and drones.
The section of the plan devoted to President Zelenskyy involved kidnapping him first and killing him after an unspecified time. No further details have been released about the specifics of the kidnap and murder plot, although the security service did say that the instructions had come from Moscow.
Vasyl Malyuk claimed that the scheme had been designed as an “inauguration gift” for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was sworn in on May 7th for his fifth consecutive term. Malyuk warned that “the enemy is strong and experienced” and warned against complacency in the face of Russian hostility.
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