SBU counter-intelligence exposed a Russian FSB agent who attempted an assassination attempt on an official of the Melitopol City Council in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Points of attention
- A Russian FSB agent planned to kill an official of the Melitopol City Council using a hammer. The victim survived, and the attacker was detained by Ukrainian law enforcement officers.
- The criminal was a recidivist from the temporarily occupied Melitopol, who was recruited by the Russian special services and studied at the FSB.
- After the attack, the agent planned to flee through the EU countries, but he was detained. He faces life imprisonment on charges of treason and attempted murder.
- Ukrainian military counter-intelligence officers did an important job in identifying and detaining a Russian spy who was planning an assassination.
- The SBU and the Prosecutor General's Office continue to investigate the case and establish all connections of the FSB agent with the Russian special services.
What is known about the detained agent of the Russian Federation
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General and the SBU, the perpetrator was a recidivist from temporarily occupied Melitopol.
He came into the sights of the occupiers even before the full-scale invasion, serving a sentence for premeditated murder in a Russian prison.
In June 2024, he was recruited by the Russian special services and sent for training at the FSB training center in the occupied territory. After his studies, he received the task of liquidating an official of the Melitopol City Council who had moved to Zaporizhzhia.
The criminal arrived in Zaporizhzhia under the guise of an immigrant, followed the victim, determined her place of residence, work and travel routes.
To avoid detection, he constantly changed his accommodation and communicated with the curator through an anonymous messenger using false names. For the completed task, he was promised a house in Melitopol, abandoned by local residents due to the occupation.
The attacker attacked the victim in the entrance of the house, inflicting several blows on the head with a hammer. Despite serious injuries, the official survived.
What is the punishment for a traitor?
According to the SBU, after the attack, the criminal planned to flee to the occupied territories through EU countries, but was detained by Ukrainian law enforcement officers. He was indicted on two counts:
Part 2 of Art. 111 (treason under martial law);
Part 2 of Art. 15, Part 2 of Art. 115 (attempted murder on commission).
The suspect was taken into custody and faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
