Ukrainian Security Service prevents assassination of judge contracted by Russian intelligence agency
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claims to have prevented the contract killing of a former judge from the Luhansk province ordered by the Russian intelligence agency.
According to the department, the Russian intelligence agency hired a Ukrainian who had served prison time in separatist controlled Donbas territory in order to commit the act of terror. With their assistance, he was released from prison and agreed to engage in sabotage and reconnaissance activity in Ukraine, and to carry out terrorist assignments.
In March 2018, a Russian intelligence officer gave the perpetrator the assignment of killing the judge.
The SBU explains that the killing was supposed to destabilize the sociopolitical situation in the Luhansk province, and undermine the public’s trust in the law enforcement authorities.
Law enforcement officers detained the perpetrator while he was trying to break into the judge’s private residence.
The detainee has allegedly admitted to carrying out a number of reconnaissance assignments which he received from representatives of the Russian intelligence agency. The SBU says that the criminal was paid for his services in private meetings in Moscow.
Earlier the SBU arrested two “Immortal Regiment” protest participants whom they suspected had been hired by the Russian intelligence agency.