Russian security forces have been accused of attempting to eliminate Ukrainian President Zelensky and other senior officials in a recent plot. Two senior officers recruited by Russia were tasked with sending real-time updates on the location of Ukrainian officials to Russian security forces, as well as recruiting collaborators within the Ukrainian army to help carry out the mission.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine, one of the tasks given to the officers by the FSB was to find army collaborators who could potentially take Zelensky hostage and assassinate him. The plan also included launching missile and UAV attacks on Budanov, head of the GRU, with the goal of assassinating him before Orthodox Easter.
The Ukrainian authorities described this planned assassination as a failure by Russia’s security services. The two senior officers were accused of treason and one was also charged with planning an act of terrorism. In a video message released by Ukrainian security services, one of the accused admitted to receiving weapons and instructions from the Russian security service.
This operation is just one example of many attempts made by Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine to locate and eliminate Ukrainian officials, including Zelensky and Budanov. Several previous attempts have been made using mercenaries and missile and UAV attacks. However, this latest plot is seen as one of the most carefully planned and executed by Russian security forces.
