Authorities in Ukraine have confirmed on Aug. 7 that an informant sharing intelligence with Russia as part of a plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is now in custody.
A statement released online by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said the woman, who remains unnamed, "was preparing an enemy airstrike" on the southern Mykolaiv region. The informant had been collecting information, including Zelensky's schedule and destinations during his visit there. However, SBU agents caught her "red-handed" as she was trying to pass intelligence to the Russians.
The woman was identified as a resident of Ochakiv city in the region, and was a former saleswoman for a military shop. If convicted, she could face up to 12 years behind bars.
The SBU further noted that it continued to document her actions to learn more about her alleged Russian handlers. It eventually came to light that the woman was also instructed to locate strategic assets belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Ochakiv. According to the SBU, Moscow was planning to target these assets as part of a massive air strike on the region.
The service learned of the alleged plot against the Ukrainian leader in time, and "additional security measures were taken during the visit." NBC News has not independently verified Kyiv's claims, and the Kremlin was silent on the matter.
Zelensky regularly moves around the country, visiting battlefields and liberated cities under strict security. In the early days of the Russia-Ukraine war, he was thought to be a primary target for Moscow's forces.
Foiled plot comes a month after Kyiv deploys drones against Putin
Incidentally, the foiled plot to assassinate Zelensky came months after Moscow accused Ukraine of launching drones meant to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kyiv staunchly denied the accusations.
Back in May, the Kremlin said Ukraine tried to assassinate Putin in an overnight drone attack. Russian military forces and special services disabled the two drones, sending debris crashing onto the grounds of the country's presidential palace. (Related: Ukraine may have tried to ASSASSINATE Vladimir Putin using a kamikaze drone.)
The Russian government denounced the attack in a statement: "We view these actions as a planned terrorist attack and an assassination attempt targeting the president. Russia reserves the right to take countermeasures wherever and whenever it deems appropriate."
Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Kremlin, told state news agency RIA Novosti that Putin was not in the building at the time of the attack. He added that the president was working out of a residence near Moscow and that Putin's schedule remained unaffected.
Meanwhile, Zelensky denied Kyiv's involvement in the foiled drone attack. "We are not attacking Putin or Moscow. We are fighting on our own territory, defending our villages and cities," he told reporters at a news conference in Finland. "We do not have enough weapons even for this. That is why we do not use them elsewhere. We have a deficit. We cannot use everything and everywhere."
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, one of the most vocal supporters of the war, also decried the attack. He told RIA Novosti that there were "no options left except for the physical elimination of Zelensky and his cabal."
State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin took to Telegram to express his indignation. The speaker of the Russian parliament's lower chamber demanded "the use of weapons capable of stopping and destroying the Kyiv terrorist regime" in a post.
Visit WWIII.news for more stories about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Watch Russia Today Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan discussing a failed assassination attempt against her by members of the SBU.
This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.
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