Authorities reported the arrest of a citizen from a Balkan country, whose specific identity has not been disclosed, while attempting to execute a senior Ukrainian Navy commander. According to the official statement from Kiev's spy agency, the suspect was acting under direct orders and financing from the Russian secret services.
The alleged hitman had devised a cover that allowed him to operate in the area for weeks. According to SBU investigations, the man entered Ukrainian territory last February using a tourist visa to avoid scrutiny from border authorities. On the day of the attack, the individual strategically positioned himself near the parking lot regularly used by the military officer, where he casually pretended to be fixing a bicycle to monitor his target without arousing suspicion from passersby.
The final phase of the plan was set in motion when the naval officer drove out of the compound. The would-be attacker threw the bicycle under the car's wheels to block its path and immediately approached the driver's window with a revolver ready to shoot at close range. However, the operation was under total surveillance; SBU agents, who had documented every step of the suspect for some time, intervened immediately and apprehended him on the spot. In a video released by authorities, the sequence of the foiled attack is shown, with the suspect ultimately handcuffed face down on the ground after being intercepted by the agents.
The arsenal for the crime was not physically brought in by the hitman, but his Russian contact provided him with a specific geolocation where he was to pick up the gun he would use for the assassination. This incident underscores the danger of current intelligence warfare, where both Kiev and Moscow regularly report on dismantling hired hitmen cells aimed at eliminating public figures and senior military officials in both territories since the conflict began.