Ukraine foils assassination attempt on officer, arrests FSB-linked hitman PHOTO

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) says it has foiled an attempted assassination of a military officer in Zaporizhzhia, arresting a suspected Russian FSB agent in a joint operation with the National Police.

According to SBU, the officer, who was recovering from injuries sustained on the front line, was lured to an industrial area under the pretext of a “date” with a woman he met on a dating site.

Instead of the woman, a masked assailant attacked the officer from behind, striking him six times in the neck, chest, abdomen and leg. The officer was hospitalised in intensive care and remains in critical condition.

Authorities tracked down the suspect within hours. The 25-year-old local man, unemployed, had been recruited by Russian intelligence via Telegram channels. Investigators say he had previously carried out “test” arson attacks before being tasked with the officer’s murder. The victim’s address was reportedly provided by a Russian handler, while the meeting was arranged through a fake profile on a dating site.

A knife believed to have been used in the attack was recovered near the scene, along with the suspect’s smartphone and tablet containing messages to FSB contacts.

The SBU has charged the man under several articles of Ukraine’s criminal code. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment and confiscation of property.

By Aghakazim Guliyev