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$50,000 to Kill a Ukrainian Governor: Russian FSB Spy Captured in Kharkiv

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Ivan_khomenko
Ivan Khomenko
AUTHOR
$50,000 to Kill a Ukrainian Governor: Russian FSB Spy Captured in Kharkiv
Russian prisoner of war captured by Ukrainian forces on August 14, 2024. (Source: Getty Images)

A Russian agent has been detained in Kharkiv for allegedly killing a Ukrainian serviceman, carrying out sabotage, and planning assassination attempts on top Ukrainian officials, including the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov.

According to the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office on April 8, the suspect is a 55-year-old native of Yevpatoria who had multiple prior convictions and expressed support for Russian ideology.

In 2015, he moved to Belgorod, Russia, where he agreed to cooperate with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and received tasks to conduct subversive activities on the territory of Ukraine.

In February 2024, the suspect entered Kharkiv to complete his first assignment—assassinating a Ukrainian soldier. In March, he shot the serviceman in the back near a residential building. The victim died at the scene.

Russian FSB agent detained in Kharkiv for plotting the assassination of regional officials, including the governor of Kharkiv. (Source: Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office)
Russian FSB agent detained in Kharkiv for plotting the assassination of regional officials, including the governor of Kharkiv. (Source: Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office)

Afterward, the agent independently carried out a series of sabotage acts. In March, he detonated a hand grenade near the Shevchenkivskyi District Administration and later attached an explosive device to the entrance of a medical commission building in Kharkiv. Both attacks caused material damage.

In October, the suspect attempted to assassinate the head of the Derhachi City Military Administration, Viacheslav Zadorenko. He planted an explosive device under the official’s car, but the device was discovered in time, preventing any casualties.

He also planned to assassinate Oleh Syniehubov by placing explosives under his vehicle. According to investigators, the FSB had promised him a reward of $50,000 for completing this task. However, after realizing he was under surveillance, the suspect postponed the operation and instead set fire to two military vehicles in Kharkiv.

In late October 2024, the agent attempted to leave the city but was apprehended by law enforcement officers aboard a regional train.

He has been formally charged under several articles of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, including treason, premeditated murder for hire, sabotage, terrorism, and illegal possession of weapons. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment. He is currently in custody without the possibility of bail.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) foiled a Russian-planned terrorist attack in a Kyiv construction hypermarket, where explosives were to be detonated during peak hours to target civilians and officials. According to SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk, the GRU had also plotted to assassinate him, in a series of attempts against Ukraine’s leadership.

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