SSU detains two colonels of State Protection Department who were preparing assassination of President Zelenskyy. PHOTOS
Two colonels of the State Protection Department were found guilty of high treason and aiding and abetting a terrorist attack aimed at eliminating a Ukrainian high-ranking official. According to the SSU, they planned to kill Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press centre of the Prosecutor General's Office.
As noted, under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General's Office, two employees of the State Protection Department of Ukraine were served with a notice of suspicion of high treason committed under martial law.
It is also noted that one of them is also charged with aiding and abetting in the preparation of a terrorist act (Article 27(5), Article 14(1), Article 258(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
Subversive activities of detainees
According to the investigation, the suspects, while serving in the State Security Department, voluntarily assisted representatives of the Russian Federal Security Service in conducting subversive activities against Ukraine for a monetary reward.
"They passed confidential information to representatives of the Russian special service, as well as prepared and hid means and instruments for committing a terrorist act," the statement said.
Preparation of an assassination attempt on a Ukrainian high-ranking official
For this purpose, one of the suspects received two FPV drones and two rounds of ammunition from representatives of the FSS agent network. He was to pass these munitions to other accomplices in the criminal offence to carry out the explosion.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, representatives of the Russian Federal Security Service identified one of the private houses in Kyiv region, where a Ukrainian high-ranking official was supposed to be staying, as the target of the attack.
"However, such intentions were timely exposed and documented by the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine. Thus, we managed to prevent the completion of the crime and detain the suspects," the statement said.
What was found on the detainees during the search?
During the searches at their places of residence, the police found items and documents with evidence of criminal activity.
Pre-trial restraint in the form of detention was imposed on both detainees.
The assassination of Volodymyr Zelenskyy was being prepared
According to the SSU, counter-intelligence and investigators thwarted FSB plans to eliminate the President of Ukraine and other members of the country's top military and political leadership.
The plans were to be implemented by an agent network that was exposed in advance by the Security Service of Ukraine with the assistance of the leadership of the State Protection Department. The network, whose activities were supervised by the FSS from Moscow, included two colonels of the State Protection Department who were "leaking" classified information to the Russian Federation.
Thus, according to the SSU, the enemy was actively developing plans to eliminate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. One of the tasks of the FSB's agent network was to find perpetrators among the military, close to the president's security, who could take the head of state hostage and then kill him.
In addition to Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the enemy planned to eliminate the head of the SSU, Vasyl Maliuk, the head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, and other senior officials.
For example, the liquidation of the head of the DIU, Kyrylo Budanov, was to be carried out before Easter.
The enemy's plan was as follows: first, the recruited agent was to observe the movements of the protected person and pass on information to the enemy. The coordinates of the house where the official was supposed to be were to be used to launch a missile strike. Then, they were going to attack the people who remained at the site of the attack with a drone. After that, the Russians planned to hit with another missile, including to destroy the traces of the drone.
The agent was provided with weapons by a colonel of the State Security Department, who personally brought FPV drones, RPG-7 charges, and MON-90 anti-personnel mines to Kyiv. The SSU recorded both the colonel's trips to another region of Ukraine to pick up drones and explosives, and conversations between the potential terrorist and his FSS "supervisor".
The SBU documented the criminal actions of the offenders in stages and detained them.
"Only a limited number of people knew about our special operation, and I personally controlled its course. The terrorist attack, which was supposed to be a gift for Putin's inauguration, was in fact a failure of the Russian secret service. But we must not forget that the enemy is strong and experienced, and cannot be underestimated. We will continue to work proactively to ensure that every traitor receives a well-deserved court sentence," said SSU Head Vasyl Malyuk.
The Russian Federal Security Service has once again confirmed the status of a terrorist organisation, as it was the employees of the 9th Directorate of the Operational Information Department of the 5th Service who supervised the organisation of the terrorist attack. These are:
Maksym Mishustin;
Dmytro Perlin;
Oleksiy Kornev.
In particular, in January 2022, Perlin became the curator of the "moles" who were recruited before Russia's full-scale invasion. Until then, they had been "supervised" by his colleague Oleksiy Kornev.
For example, before the outbreak of the full-scale war, Kornev held a series of secret meetings with the colonel of the State Security Department in neighbouring European countries. Funds for agents were also usually transferred abroad.
Searches were conducted at the offenders' places of residence, during which the relevant munitions and other evidence of criminal activity were found and seized.
They have now been notified of being suspected under the following articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
Article 111(2) (high treason committed under martial law);
ч. 1, Art. 14, Art. 258 (preparation for a terrorist act).
The suspects have been held in custody as a measure of restraint. The defendants face life imprisonment.
