War in Ukraine: kyiv announces the arrest of two “agents” who planned to assassinate Zelensky on orders from Russia

Les services ukrainiens ont déjà déjoué plusieurs complots russes visant à assassiner Volodymyr Zelensky. ILLUSTRATION MAXPPP – JUSTIN LANE

Kiev a annoncé ce mardi 7 mai avoir déjoué un complot russe visant le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced this Tuesday, May 7, the arrest of two agents operating on behalf of Russia within the National Guard with the objective of rsquo;assassinate President Volodimir Zelensky.

The two men, both colonels, had been recruited by the FSB, the Russian Security Service, and had passed confidential information to Moscow, the SBU said on the Telegram messaging platform.

Their mission was to enlist a member of the presidential guard close enough to Volodimir Zelensky to take him hostage and then execute him, the SBU added.

A "gift" to Putin for his inauguration

"This terrorist attack, supposed to be a gift to (Vladimir) Putin for his inauguration, was in fact a failure of the Russian special services", said the director of the SBU, Vasyl Maliouk, quoted by the agency on Telegram. Moscow had no immediate comment.

Vladimir Putin was inaugurated this Tuesday for a new six-year term at the head of Russia. The Kremlin made no comment last month on the arrest in Poland of a man also accused of working with Russian secret services in the assassination of Zelensky.

Last fall, the Ukrainian president declared that Ukrainian services had foiled at least five Russian plots aimed at assassinating him.