Ukrainian security service thwarts Russian plot to kill intelligence officer

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has successfully prevented a contract killing targeting an officer of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence. A multi-stage special operation in Kyiv led to the apprehension of an FSB-linked operative attempting to carry out the assassination.

According to the SBU, the plot was orchestrated by a 28-year-old citizen of a Central Asian country, who was allegedly recruited by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) via Telegram channels. The recruitment promised $50,000 and legal residency in an EU country as incentives for completing the mission, Caliber.Az reports.

Upon arrival in Ukraine, the suspect first stayed in Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv region, where he acquired several smartphones and SIM cards to facilitate clandestine communication with his handlers. In Kyiv, he received a photograph of the target, approximate coordinates, and a firearm intended for the assassination.

The SBU intercepted the hitman “in the act” while he aimed a pistol at the Ukrainian intelligence officer in a public venue. Authorities seized the firearm, ammunition, and a smartphone containing evidence of ongoing communications with the FSB.

The suspect has been formally charged under multiple articles of the Ukrainian Criminal Code. He remains in custody and faces a potential life sentence with property confiscation.

By Vafa Guliyeva