Russian agents rented flats near President's office in Kyiv in plot to kill Zelenskyy, CNN
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
At the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Russian agents rented apartments in close proximity to the Office of the President of Ukraine in Kyiv, with orders to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to CNN.
Read also: Assassination attempt on Zelenskyy case: Polish man found guilty of spying for Russian intelligence
According to the outlet, Zelenskyy's assassination was part of a Kremlin plan to seize control of Ukraine. The president has survived nearly a dozen assassination attempts by Russia.
He was to be captured or killed if he did not flee first. A source close to the president told CNN that Russian agents rented the apartments near the presidential office with explicit instructions to eliminate him.
"At one point early in the war, a joke went around that Zelensky became a comedian – the career he pursued before entering politics – because he was not afraid of bombing. In those early days, Zelensky’s uncanny capacity for survival and humor encapsulated the defiant mood of the country," CNN journalists noted.
Assassination attempts on Zelenskyy
President Zelenskyy has previously confirmed that assassination attempts were made against him at the start of the full-scale war. During one such attempt inside the presidential office building, several people were killed.
In March 2024, Zelenskyy spoke of more than ten attempts on his life.
In April 2024, Ukrainian and Polish intelligence services uncovered a Russian agent who was preparing an assassination attempt on Zelenskyy during a visit to Poland.
In May 2024, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) exposed a network of agents plotting to kill Zelenskyy, as well as top officials of the SBU and the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR). Investigations revealed the involvement of a head of one of the departments of the State Protection Directorate.
In June 2025, then-head of the SBU Vasyl Malyuk confirmed that a plot against Zelenskyy was being prepared in Poland.
The suspect was a Polish retired military officer recruited by Russian intelligence decades ago. The man "firmly believed" in the USSR ideology, which Moscow exploited for its objectives.
His goal was the physical elimination of President Zelenskyy at Rzeszów Airport. Several methods were considered, including using an FPV drone or a sniper system. The attempt was thwarted by the SBU in cooperation with Polish law enforcement.
