Law enforcement officers exposed and detained an individual recruited by Russian special services at the stage of preparing the murder of an official of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (HUR), the National Police of Ukraine reported on its website on Monday morning. The suspect is currently being held in custody.
“Russian special services recruited a 38-year-old resident of Kyiv and promised him a monetary reward for committing a particularly grave crime. He was offered $100,000 for eliminating one of the heads of a structural unit of the HUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, of which $10,000 was transferred as an advance payment,” the statement said.
The National Police did not disclose the name of the official who was the target of the planned assassination.
According to sources in law enforcement agencies who spoke to Interfax-Ukraine, the assassination attempt was being prepared against Andriy Yusov, spokesperson for strategic communications of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, deputy head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, and adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
Investigators of the Main Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine opened criminal proceedings over the uncovered plot. The recruited suspect had previously been prosecuted for property-related crimes and was tasked with organizing the contract killing.
“The suspect chose to carry out the crime using an FPV drone and began searching for an accomplice with the necessary skills to operate unmanned aerial vehicles. However, he did not manage to carry out the plan… National Police investigators notified the detainee of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (preparation for intentional murder motivated by financial gain). The article provides for a sentence of 10 to 15 years’ imprisonment or life imprisonment,” the police reported.
Investigative actions aimed at identifying other individuals involved in preparing the assassination attempt are ongoing. The pre-trial investigation continues.
