The SBU Counterintelligence Department jointly with the SBU Office in Odesa region foiled an attempt by Russians to carry out a contract killing of a high-ranking official of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
According to the SBU press service, a special operation in Odesa resulted in the detention of a Russian agent who tried to eliminate a high-ranking officer of the Ukrainian Navy.
According to the investigation, on the day of the assassination attempt, the killer with a pistol and two loaded magazines took up a position near the exit of the residential complex where the Ukrainian officer lives. Imitating a bicycle repair, the attacker, wearing a balaclava, waited for a car driven by a military officer to appear.
When the car approached the exit, the agent threw the bicycle under the wheels of the car and tried to open fire on the driver. At that moment, the killer was detained by the SBU counterintelligence and special forces task force, which had been following him for a long time.
According to the investigation, the enemy's task was carried out by a 37-year-old resident of one of the Balkan countries recruited by Russian special services. In February 2026, the foreigner arrived in the capital of Ukraine under the guise of a tourist and later went to Odesa to fulfill a Russian order.
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VIDEO: SBU
After arriving in the port city, the agent received the geolocation of the cache from the Russian curator, from which he took a pistol with a silencer and ammunition. Next, the suspect tracked the main locations and routes of the potential victim, after which he agreed with the Russian special service officer on the location of the planned assassination attempt.
For conspiracy, the killer regularly changed the addresses of Odesa rented apartments and hotel rooms. The SBU investigators served the foreigner a notice of suspicion of completed attempted terrorist act. The detainee is in custody. He faces up to 12 years in prison.
Кирило Бойко