Ukraine's Security Service says it detained FSB hitman who tried to shoot intelligence officer in Kyiv

The Security Service of Ukraine has said it prevented a contract killing of an officer of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and detained an FSB agent in the city of Kyiv while he was attempting to carry out the assassination.

Source: Security Service of Ukraine

Quote: "The counterintelligence units of the Security Service prevented a contract killing of an officer of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.

As a result of a multi-stage special operation in Kyiv, an FSB agent who was attempting to kill a Ukrainian serviceman in the central part of the city has been exposed."

Details: The suspect was detained in the act at one of Kyiv's establishments when he pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the officer in the city centre.

The investigation established that the assassination attempt was carried out by a 28-year-old citizen of one of the Central Asian countries. According to the Security Service, he was recruited abroad while looking for quick earnings via Telegram channels. Posing as a tourist, he then travelled to Ukraine and initially stayed in the city of Pervomaisk in Mykolaiv Oblast, where he purchased several mobile phones and SIM cards, regularly changing them to communicate with his handler.

He later travelled to Kyiv, where he received a photo of the intended target, approximate locations and the coordinates of a cache from which, according to the Security Service, he retrieved a pistol and ammunition. He was supposedly promised US$50,000 and "legalisation" in one of the EU countries for the murder.

At the scene, officers reportedly seized a firearm with ammunition and a mobile phone containing evidence of contact with the FSB.

Investigators have charged the man with an attempted premeditated murder, aiding the aggressor state and illegal handling of weapons. The suspect has been remanded in custody and faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

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