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Ukraine’s SBU Foils Russian-Backed Assassination Plot Targeting AFU Soldier
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The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the National Police prevented a contract killing of a Ukrainian soldier in Zaporizhzhia.
As reported by SBU on January 21, Russian intelligence services initially lured the Ukrainian defender to a city industrial zone under the pretext of a “date.” The meeting was arranged with a woman he had met on a dating site. However, instead of the woman, a killer wearing a balaclava appeared and attacked the soldier from behind, inflicting six stab wounds to his neck, chest, abdomen, and right leg. The attacker then fled the scene.
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As a result of the deep stab wounds, the victim was rushed to the intensive care unit, where he remains in critical condition.
Within hours of the attempt, SBU officers tracked down the killer and arrested him at his relatives' house, where he had tried to hide. A knife discarded by the attacker during his escape was found at the scene, along with a smartphone and tablet used to communicate with the FSB.
“According to the case materials, the FSB's order was carried out by a 25-year-old local unemployed man who came under the radar of the Russian intelligence service while looking for ‘easy money’ in Telegram channels,” the statement read.
Following a series of “test” arson attacks in the city, the Russians assigned him the task of killing a Ukrainian officer. The location for the planned attack was provided to him by a handler from Russia.
The perpetrator is now in custody and faces life imprisonment along with asset seizure.
This is not the first time that Russian agents have attempted to kill Ukrainian soldiers. In July 2025, SBU thwarted a Russian-backed plot to assassinate Serhii Filimonov, commander of the 108th Separate Battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, also known as the “Da Vinci Wolves.” According to the investigation, the operation was orchestrated by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
The SBU reported that Russian intelligence recruited a resident of Dnipropetrovsk region, deceiving him into believing he was working for the Ukrainian security service.
“Agent operations under a false flag are a relatively new tactic for the Russian special services. During recruitment conversations, FSB operatives pose as SBU officers and assign tasks to agents allegedly in the interests of Ukraine,” the security service stated.
Earlier, it was reported that Ukrainian forces detained a Russian serviceman involved in the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia’s Kursk region on October 2025.
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