In May, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) reported the discovery of a network of FSB agents who were preparing assassination attempts on high-ranking Ukrainian officials, in particular, the chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) Lt Gen Kyrylo Budanov.
What is known about the failed assassination attempt by FSB agents on Budanov
According to the journalists of the publication, they wanted to kill the DIU chief during a coordinated attack on Ukraine by missiles and drones of the Russian criminal army.
It is noted that SSU employees were monitoring the organisers of the attempt for several months.
They turned out to be two colonels of the State Security Department (UDO).
It is emphasised that surveillance was also conducted on someone suspected of working for the FSB.
The SSU knew that these three were planning an assassination attempt on Budanov and were also monitoring the SSU chief, Vasyl Malyuk, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to one of the officers of the Ukrainian secret services in a comment to the journalists of the publication, as part of the preparation for the attempt, the organisers brought rocket-propelled grenade launchers, a MON-90 anti-personnel mine and kamikaze drones to Kyiv.
According to sources, the first suspect was Colonel Andriy Huk, who is accused of working for the FSB since 2014.
According to the investigation, he allegedly recruited the second figure, Colonel Oleksandr Derkach, and coordinated the group's implementation of FSB orders.
Journalists of the publication note that the conversations between the killer and his supervisors were intercepted by the SSU using powerful surveillance technologies.
The SSU chief, Vasyl Malyuk, urgently informed the DIU CHIEF, Kyryl Budanov.
What is known about the arrest of the organisers of the attempt
Ukrainian law enforcers detained the killer, and the SSU prepared a quick operation to arrest his alleged accomplices.
Our goal was to make a simultaneous arrest, so that they could not inform each other, so that they would not escape, — the officer of the Ukrainian secret services explains to journalists.
One of the suspected colonels was arrested in his apartment in Kyiv, while the other was with friends in the Sumy region.
Both had weapons with them.
To avoid a dangerous shootout, the SSU lured them out by organising an unexpected call to work.
Rapid response special forces in uniforms of regular patrol police stationed themselves at roadblocks on the specified route.
The SSU employees put on a show in front of each suspect's car and thoroughly searched every civilian car.
The first man was detained relatively quickly.
The second did not park and showed his ID through the window. However, the policeman noticed that he did not see the document and came closer to the car to open the door and detain the man.
The suspect tried to run away but was apprehended.
According to the SSU counterintelligence officer, as a result of searches of the suspects' residences, they found explosives and drone components hidden in spare tyres and a pile of firewood, as well as a cache with a secret phone.
Both men confessed to the crime during interrogation.
The phone contained records identifying the vehicles and routes Zelenskyy and Malyuk took, possibly in anticipation of a similar strike, and reports of their movements.
According to the SSU officer, during the interrogation, the colonels also revealed new information about Russia's earlier attempt to take Zelenskyy hostage at the very beginning of the war.
In February 2022, Agent Number One was tasked with identifying other state security officers loyal to Russia and killing those loyal to Ukraine in order to take the president hostage. They should have forced Zelenskyy to make a video message of surrender and say that there is no reason to fight — or they will kill him, — said one of the organisers of the attempt.
In the early days of the invasion, the first colonel even gathered the other presidential guards and told them to lay down their arms when the Russians came.
However, his security colleagues at the time saw such a suggestion as an emotional reaction to the intrusion and ignored them.
Since he was senior in rank, they did not object to him. After his arrest, they were shocked to realise that he was acting on orders from the FSB.
Hook's family, which fled to Europe and has strong pro-Ukrainian views, was devastated by his arrest. "He lied to them all. His wife thought her husband was defending his country, his children thought their father was a Ukrainian hero," the officer added. However, he was born in Russia, which may explain his alleged betrayal. In a video recording of the interrogations published by the SSU, he said that he received $3,000 a month from the FSB of Russia, as well as an additional $1,000 for trips to carry out their orders. It is claimed that most of this amount was paid to him and his family during visits to Europe, the publication says.
The authors, referring to the SSU, emphasise that the second officer, Derkach, participated simply for money and hoped that Huk, senior in rank, would help his career prospects.
