Ukraine says woman detained in Zelensky assassination plot

Ukraine detained a Russian informant working to gather information on President Volodymyr Zelensky’s planned trip to Mykolaiv last week, part of an apparent assassination plot, the Secret Service of Ukraine announced Monday. 

The informant, a Ukrainian woman, is in custody and being questioned.

Ukrainian officials said they “apprehended the traitor ‘red-handed’ when she was trying to pass intelligence” to Russian officials.

They added they learned about the informant’s intentions in advance and took additional security measures ahead of Zelensky’s trip to the Mykolaiv region. 

Ukrainian officials said the informant was trying to establish an itinerary for Zelensky’s trip. She then planned to give the information to Russian officials “to prepare for a new massive air strike on the region,” the Secret Service of Ukraine said in the statement.

According to the Ukrainian investigation, the informant drove into the “target area,” capturing photos and video footage of facilities. Ukrainian officials said she also tried to garner additional data through social relationships she had, “hoping that her acquaintances would unwittingly provide certain information.” 

Ukrainian officials said the informant had been instructed to identify the location of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s electronic warfare systems and ammunition depots. 

The informant was not named by Ukrainian officials, but they said she was a resident of Ochakiv and a former salesperson in a military shop of one of the local military units.

In a Monday statement, Zelensky said officials were working on the “struggle against traitors in Ukraine.”

“The Main Intelligence Directorate and the Foreign Intelligence Service provided the data received from Russia. We understand the enemy’s immediate plans. Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Malyuk reported on the struggle against traitors in Ukraine,” he said in a post on X, formerly called Twitter.