Ukrainian Security Service Thwarts Russian Military Intelligence Assassination Plot

SBU Operation Targets Russian GRU Network

According to Главком: In a coordinated counter-intelligence operation, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has dismantled a sabotage and assassination cell operated by Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). The group was actively planning a series of targeted killings within Ukraine. During the operation, which was overseen by First Deputy Head of the SBU Oleksandr Poklad, one assassin was killed while resisting arrest, and more than ten other members of the criminal network were detained.

Intended Targets and Group Leader

The cell's potential targets included:

• Serhiy Sternenko, an advisor to Ukraine's Minister of Defense;
• Ilya Bogdanov, a Russian national who has been fighting for Ukraine since 2014.

The group was led by a court expert from Poltava who had been recruited by the GRU and was responsible for compiling intelligence reports for the Russian agency. The assassin who was neutralized was a native of the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk region and had received combat training at a GRU facility, where he learned to manufacture improvised explosive devices.

During searches, law enforcement officers seized firearms, ammunition, recording devices, computer equipment, and surveillance cameras, which confirmed the detainees' work for Russian special services. SBU investigators have notified the detainees of suspicion under several articles of Ukraine's Criminal Code, including high treason, collaboration, and terrorism. They face potential life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

It is worth noting that Serhiy Sternenko was previously targeted in a shooting on May 1, 2025, but the assailant was swiftly apprehended. That attacker, a 45-year-old unemployed woman from Odesa region who is a first-group disabled person with no prior criminal record, had been remotely recruited by Russian special services late the previous year. She faces up to 15 years in prison.

The success of this latest operation was made possible by human intelligence penetration of enemy ranks and the active work of SBU counter-intelligence officers in Poltava region, along with a series of tactical measures in temporarily occupied territory.

'To carry out the murders, the criminals tracked the addresses and movement routes of military and public figures, then sent the collected data to the group leader. The occupiers then directly transmitted the data on potential victims to the assassin-agent.' – Security Service of Ukraine

This special operation highlights the persistent threat faced by Ukrainian officials and military personnel from Russian covert actions. It demonstrates the ongoing activity of Ukrainian security services in countering these threats and their continued efforts to protect high-ranking officials and soldiers. The dismantling of this sabotage and intelligence group also points to the increasing effectiveness of Ukrainian law enforcement in combating terrorism and collaborationism amid Russia's ongoing aggression.

In a related incident highlighting ongoing security challenges, the SBU recently detained a drone operator accused of treason for leaking sensitive military information. This operation underscores the persistent threats posed by espionage within Ukraine, as various individuals attempt to compromise national security. For further details on this significant arrest and its implications, read more about the recent drone espionage case.