Ukraine says it foiled a Russian spy agency plot to assassinate President Zelenskyy

By ILLIA NOVIKOV
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian counterintelligence investigators say they have foiled a Russian plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top military and political figures. A statement Tuesday from Ukraine’s state security service says that two colonels in the State Guard of Ukraine were detained on suspicion of enacting the plan drawn up by Russia’s Federal Security Service. The State Guard protects top officials. The statement said that the plan was to carry out an attack before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration for a fifth term in power Tuesday. Ukrainian claims of Russian efforts to kill Zelenskyy aren’t new. Zelensky said in 2022 there has been at least 10 attempts to assassinate him as the war with Russia stretches into a third year.