Ukraine detains alleged Russian informant in Zelenskyy assassination plot

Kyiv: Ukraine detained a Russian informant, who was preparing a Russian air strike in the Mykolaiv region during the visit of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, CNN reported.

According to the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), the alleged informant was gathering intelligence ahead of the Ukrainian President’s visit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the region at the end of July.

In a statement, the SBU said that the alleged conspirator “tried to establish the time and list of locations of the approximate route of the Head of State in the territory of the region.” However, SBU agents had obtained information about the “subversive activities of the suspect” and adopted additional security measures.

In monitoring the communications of the woman, the SBU had established that she also had the task of identifying the location of electronic warfare systems and warehouses with ammunition of the armed forces, as per CNN.

According to the investigation, the perpetrator was a resident of Ochakov, southern Ukraine, and a former saleswoman in a military store on the territory of one of the military units of the region.

She allegedly travelled



around the territory of the district and filmed the locations of Ukrainian objects.

The woman has not been named.

Notably, the Russia-Ukraine war started when the latter country offered a bid for NATO membership and denied the bid. Russia launched its special military operation on February 24, 2022, after recognising the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as “independent republics.” Russia has since continued to maintain that the aim of its operations has been to “demilitarize” and “de-nazify” the country.

Although, the United States and other NATO countries have said it is impossible to admit Ukraine now because of the ongoing war.

In July, US President Joe Biden said that he doesn’t think Ukraine is ready for NATO membership and added that NATO is a process that takes some time to meet all qualifications, from democratization to a whole range of other issues.”I don’t think it (Ukraine) is ready for membership in NATO,” the US President said in an interview when asked about Ukraine’s NATO membership, reported CNN.

However, Ukraine isstill determined to be part of NATO.