Up to $100,000 per person: Russia prepares high-profile murders in Ukraine, combat group neutralized
The Security Service and the National Police foiled a criminal group that was preparing contract assassinations on behalf of Russian special services.
According to Ukrinform, this was reported by the press services of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General's Office.
"As part of the work of a joint investigative group of Ukrainian and Moldovan law enforcement agencies, an organized group preparing contract killings of well-known Ukrainian citizens and foreigners was foiled.
The investigation established that the network's members were acting under the supervision of the Russian Federation's special services. They gathered information about the whereabouts, lifestyle, places of recreation, and residence of a specific group of individuals to organize their preparation and subsequent murder for monetary reward," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
The victims were to be well-known people in Ukraine, including one of them, Andrii Yusov, representative for strategic communications of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, deputy head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
According to the organizers' plan, the murders of these individuals were intended to cause public outrage, generate negative media coverage of the security situation, and be used for subversive activities against Ukraine.
The members of the organized group clearly divided roles, planned methods of murder, prepared weapons, and thought out escape routes. For each murder, the Russian side promised the perpetrators up to $100,000, with the amount depending on the fame and influence of the potential victim.
To prevent the criminal plans from being carried out, law enforcement officers simultaneously conducted more than 20 searches in several regions of Ukraine at the places of residence of persons allegedly involved in the preparation of contract assassinations.
During the investigative actions, mobile phones, computer equipment, weapons, ammunition, and explosives were seized. Correspondence with Russian supervisors was recorded, confirming the coordination of criminal activities.
Seven people were detained in Ukraine. At the same time, urgent investigative actions were carried out in Moldova, where three more people were detained, including the organizer of the network and two of his accomplices.
The members of the criminal group have been notified of the charges against them. A motion is being prepared to request that the court impose preventive measures, including detention.
Russian aggression is once again manifesting itself in various forms, from open military action to attempts to destabilize the situation within the state. Responsibility for the crimes committed is inevitable.
International cooperation remains one of the key elements of effective counteraction to such threats.
As reported, the Security Service of Ukraine detained a Russian agent who was preparing an assassination attempt on an official of one of the state institutions responsible for the defense training of the population in the Kirovohrad region.
The first photo: SSU