Ukraine's Security Service detains hitman who attempted to kill Navy officer on Russian orders

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has caught a Russian agent red-handed in the city of Odesa as he attempted to assassinate a high-ranking officer from the Ukrainian Navy.

Source: SSU on social media

Details: An investigation established that on the day of the assassination attempt, the hitman, armed with a pistol and two loaded magazines, took up a position near the exit of the residential complex where the Ukrainian officer lives. Pretending to repair a bicycle, the perpetrator, wearing a balaclava, waited for the Ukrainian officer's car to appear.

When the car approached the exit, the individual threw the bicycle under the vehicle's wheels and attempted to open fire on the driver. At that moment, the hitman was apprehended by a task force comprising counter-intelligence officers and special forces from the SSU's Special Operations Centre Alpha, who had been keeping the suspect under surveillance for some time and had documented his every move.

According to the investigation, the perpetrator is a 37-year-old national of a Balkan country who had been recruited by Russian intelligence services.

In February 2026, the national arrived in the Ukrainian capital posing as a tourist and subsequently travelled to Odesa to carry out the Russian assignment. Upon arrival in the port city, he received the geolocation of a hideout from his handler in Russia, from which he retrieved a pistol fitted with a silencer and ammunition.

The suspect then tracked the potential victim's main whereabouts and routes, after which he agreed on the location of the planned assassination with the Russian intelligence officer.

To maintain his cover, the hitman regularly changed the addresses of the rented flats and hotel rooms he used in Odesa.

SSU investigators served the foreign national with a notice of suspicion for committing offences under Article 15.2 and Article 258.2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (completed attempt to commit a terrorist attack). The suspect is in custody. He faces up to 12 years in prison.

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