Russian plot to kill Zelensky foiled, Kyiv says

The Ukrainian security service (SBU) says it has foiled a Russian plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky and other high-ranking Ukrainian officials.

Two Ukrainian government protection unit colonels have been arrested.

The SBU said they were part of a network of agents belonging to the Russian state security service (FSB).

They had reportedly been searching for willing “executors” among Mr Zelensky’s bodyguards to kidnap and kill him.

Other targets included military intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov and SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk, the agency added.

The group had reportedly planned to kill Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Mr Budanov before Orthodox Easter, which this year fell on 5 May.

According to the SBU, the group was planning use a “mole” to get information about his location, which they would then attack with rockets and drones.

One of the officers that was later arrested had already bought drones and anti-personnel mines, the SBU said.

SBU head Vasyl Malyuk said the attack was supposed to be “a gift to Putin before the inauguration” – Vladimir Putin was sworn in as Russia’s president on Tuesday.

The operation turned into a “failure” of the Russian special services, Mr Malyuk said.

“But we must not forget – the enemy is strong and experienced, he cannot be underestimated,” he added.

The SBU said three FSB employees oversaw the organisation and the attack.

One of them – named as Dmytro Perlin – had been recruiting “moles” since before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Another FSB employee, Oleksiy Kornev, reportedly held “conspirational” meetings “in neighbouring European states” before the invasion with one of the Ukrainian colonels arrested today.