(CNN) — Two Ukrainian security officials have been detained for allegedly plotting the assassination of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the State Security Service (SBU) reported.
The SBU revealed that two colonels from the Ukrainian Government’s protection unit were arrested for leaking classified information to Russia, after discovering a network of agents belonging to the Russian state security service (FSB).
The SBU claimed to have thwarted the actively developed plans to assassinate President Zelensky. According to the SBU, the FSB agent network was tasked with finding perpetrators among the military close to the president’s security who could take him hostage and then carry out the assassination.
The assassination plans were not just directed at Zelensky, but also targeted other senior Ukrainian officials, including the head of the SBU and the head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence.
President Zelensky has reportedly faced several assassination attempts since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Just last month, a woman from southern Ukraine was arrested for her involvement in a plot to carry out a Russian airstrike during Zelensky’s visit to Mikolayv. Another individual, a Pole, was also accused of assisting in a Russian assassination plot against Zelensky at an airport in southeastern Poland.
In addition to these plots, Zelensky has narrowly escaped assassination attempts on his visits to war-torn areas. During a visit to the city of Odessa in March, a missile exploded near his convoy, killing five people but leaving Zelensky unharmed.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office has leveled serious accusations against the detained security officials, including engaging in subversive activities against Ukraine in exchange for financial compensation. The officials are also accused of assisting in the preparation of a terrorist act, with one suspect receiving drones and ammunition from the FSB for this purpose.
The suspects are currently under arrest as investigations continue. The Ukrainian authorities have been vigilant in uncovering and preventing these dangerous plots against President Zelensky and other top officials.