Ukrainian secrets say that they have arrested two colonels linked to Moscow who were planning to kill Zelensky and two authorities. The plan included assassinating the president during the night.
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The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced this Tuesday that it had discovered several agents of the Russian Security Service (FSB) who were planning to assassinate Volodymyr Zelensky and two other Ukrainian officials: Kyrylo Budanov, military leader, and Vassyl Maliouk, commander . of the SBU. The terrorist attack would be a “gift for Putin” in connection with his inauguration, which also took place this Tuesday.
In a statement cited by Reuters, the SBU shared that two colonels from the State Security Administration of Ukraine (UDO), responsible for protecting senior Kiev officials, Among his bodyguards they were looking for agents of the Ukrainian president.
The two colonels ended up being accused of treason committed under martial law and of sharing confidential information with Moscow, which recruited them before the start of the invasion of Ukraine. One of the men was also accused of preparing a terrorist attack. Colonels can be sentenced to life imprisonment. To AFP, a Ukrainian source explained that the two colonels “were detained a few days ago” and “one of them headed a department.”
In a video shared by the SBU on YouTube, a man – who appears with his face blurred as a security measure and who must be one of the colonels – states that he would recommend to the FSB a person willing to “block” Zelensky overnight, when the Head of State was preparing to record the daily video presented to the Ukrainian people. One of the members of the group hired by Moscow even acquired drones and explosives.
The death of Budanov, accused of carrying out risky operations on Russian soil, was scheduled for before Orthodox Easter Sunday, which was celebrated on the 5th.
The SBU adds that one of the detained colonels had the task of observing a building where Budanov would arrive by car. The man would then transmit the information to the FSB, so that Moscow could attack the place with a missile. The colonel would also be in charge of launching an attack with the drone against the survivors. Finally, Russia would fire a second missile capable of “covering the tracks.”
Vladimir Putin guarantees that “he does not reject dialogue with the West” and is confident that Russia will overcome a “difficult period”
In the recording, the voice of a man is also heard, who introduces himself as an FSB employee and who was giving instructions to his interlocutor, who asked him when he should leave the place before firing the missile. The employee responded that he would have “at least 20 or 30 minutes” and assured that he would hear “a loud explosion.” When executing the plan, The suspect would receive a payment of between 47,000 and 74,000 euros.
Source: Observadora
