Police detains an agent recruited by Russia to assassinate representative of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence
Ukrainian police have detained a 38-year-old Kyiv resident who was recruited by Russian intelligence services to assassinate Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR), reports the National Police.
The Russians promised the recruited Kyiv resident, who had previously been prosecuted for property crimes, $100,000 to kill a GUR official, of which $10,000 had already been transferred as an advance payment.
To carry out the assassination, the man studied the official’s travel route, daily schedule, place of residence, modes of transportation, and surrounding infrastructure in detail. After gathering the necessary information, the suspect planned the assassination using an FPV drone and began searching for an accomplice who could operate the drone.
The police released a recorded conversation between the suspect and an accomplice, in which he, apparently to maintain secrecy, refers to the murder plot as “construction” and to the method (an FPV drone) as “airborne transmission.”
“They’ll leave no stone unturned in their search for him. […] If one has this kind of job, whether you like it or not, they'll find you and get to you. […] It’s a “construction” initiated by our neighbours," the man said.
The suspect even consulted a fortune-teller about the planned assassination, asking for her help so that “the guys could carry out the ‘job’ and return home safely.”
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, of which Yusov is the deputy head, confirmed that he was the target of the assassination attempt.
Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General reported that the suspect is a former military serviceman with combat experience.
Police, with the support of special forces, managed to detain the suspect. During a search, they found and seized mobile phones, a GPS tracker, a vehicle, and other physical evidence. The man was notified of his status as a suspect under Part 2 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: preparation for intentional murder for mercenary motives.
The penalty under this article provides for imprisonment for a term of 10 to 15 years or life imprisonment. Investigations are currently underway to identify others involved in planning the assassination attempt.
Yusov said that this was not the first attempt on his life and thanked law enforcement officials who “acted professionally, once again thwarting the enemy’s plans.”
“This latest assassination attempt can also be considered an assessment of my work at the Defence Intelligence and the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoners of War. It means we’re doing everything right, and this is bothering the Russian occupiers,” said the GUR representative.
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