Court orders SSS colonels Derkach and Huk to remain in pretrial detention in Budanov assassination and treason case

According to Ukrinform, this was reported by Suspilne.

Both are charged with treason, and Derkach is also charged with terrorism and illegal possession of weapons.

According to the investigation, in 2023, Derkach hid a drone and explosives in a cache, which the Russian FSB intended to use later to assassinate the former head of Ukrainian intelligence and current head of the Office of the President, Kyrylo Budanov.

Prosecutor Andrii Pokhyl filed a motion to extend the detention terms for Derkach and Huk. In his opinion, if released, the defendants could flee, influence witnesses, or commit new crimes.

The defendants and their defense attorneys insisted that the prosecutor’s claims were baseless.

The defense requested that any other preventive measure not involving detention in a pretrial detention center be applied to their clients. However, the panel of judges, led by Halyna Bondarenko, granted the prosecutor’s motion.

In May 2024, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) announced that it had foiled an assassination attempt by Russian intelligence agencies against Kyrylo Budanov, then head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. According to the SSU, the Russians planned to launch a missile at a building in Kyiv where Budanov was scheduled to arrive with his subordinates. According to the SSU, an FSB agent on the ground was supposed to inform his handler of Budanov’s arrival and, after the missile struck, launch an additional drone attack on the building. After that, the Russians planned to strike the building with another missile. However, according to the investigation, this FSB agent was actually collaborating with the SSU, which is why the operation was thwarted.

Shortly thereafter, the SSU detained SSS Colonel Andrii Huk. According to the investigation, he had been carrying out tasks for the FSB since 2023. The Security Service of Ukraine claims that it was he who transported an FPV drone and explosives from one hideout to another, which an FSB agent then retrieved and was supposed to use in the assassination attempt on Budanov.

According to the investigation, Huk recruited a colleague—SSS Colonel Oleksandr Derkach—to collaborate with the FSB. While on duty, Derkach gathered information “regarding the volume and timing of international military aid deliveries to Ukraine from partner countries, as well as decisions related to personnel changes in senior leadership positions within the Ukrainian Defense Forces” and other data. Derkach passed this information to Huk, who in turn passed it to his handler in the FSB. The SSU charged both detainees with treason, and Derkach additionally with preparing a terrorist attack.

In April 2025, the case was referred to court, but the trial on the merits has not yet begun. The defendants do not admit guilt.

As reported by Ukrinform, in May 2024, the SSU stated that it had thwarted the Russian FSB’s plans to eliminate President Volodymyr Zelensky and other members of the state’s top military and political leadership. In particular, two colonels of the SSS were detained in Ukraine for passing classified information to the Russians.

Derkach and Huk are charged with treason, terrorism, and illegal possession of weapons. They were detained in May 2024 and arrested.

Photo: Suspilne News/Oleksii Arunian