The organizer of the murder of the head of the internal security department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) offered $50,000 for the crime, the crime was planned in collusion with several persons, and the criminal proceedings themselves are neither "showdowns" nor the redistribution of spheres of influence, the SBU says.

At a briefing in Kyiv on Saturday, head of the Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the SBU Anatoliy Bulich said that the arrest of one of the SBU officers caused a great resonance in society.

"Criminal proceedings are not some sort of showdown between SBU officers, but is a direct warning of the commission of a grave crime. The case is not about some ephemeral redistribution of spheres of influence or financial flows, as they write in the media," he said.

"Yesterday, on January 22 ... SBU conducted a high-profile arrest ... An employee of the anti-terrorist center under the SBU was detained for preparing a murder on order of another SBU employee, an employee of the SBU's main internal security department, Andriy Naumov," said the head of the investigation department.

According to Bulich, the issue of choosing a preventive measure for the detainee is currently being decided.

"The collection of data has been taking place for a long time ... The investigators of the SBU established that there was a conspiracy of several persons, they developed a clear plan for committing a crime, the organizer was looking for an executor for this and offered $50,000 for the execution of this crime," Bulich said.

Bulich clarified: "Yesterday, the SBU detained one of the organizers during the transfer of part of the funds. It was payment for the preparation of the crime."

According to the head of the investigation department, the information that someone allegedly escaped in handcuffs from the place of detention is not true. "It is obvious that different forces are trying to use this situation to their advantage, create a fake soap bubble, trying to tie the President of Ukraine to this story," he added.

"If there is a crime, we must respond to it ... In this case, the SBU acted on prevention ... We did the main thing - to prevent the commission of a crime," Bulich said.

In turn, head of the department of the Prosecutor General's Office Andriy Lysokobylka added: "At present, the actions of the detained person are qualified under Part 1 of Article 14, Part 2 of Article 28 and Article 348 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (encroachment on the life of a law enforcement officer), the investigator, in agreement with the prosecutor announced suspicion to the specified person."

The punishment provided by law under these articles is imprisonment for a term of nine to 15 years or life imprisonment.

Also, the SBU reported that today Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court has chosen a preventive measure for the suspect - detention without the possibility of posting a bail. The pretrial investigation continues.