Ukraine's Security Service chief reveals foiled assassination attempt on Zelenskyy in Poland

Assassination plot planned in Poland

According to SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk, Russia has recruited a Polish military pensioner decades ago — someone who deeply believed in the Soviet ideology. Russia later "activated" him for the operation.

"The task was to eliminate President Zelenskyy at Rzeszów Airport physically. Several options were considered — one involving an FPV drone, another a sniper system," Malyuk said.

However, the assassination attempt was foiled by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in cooperation with Poland’s Internal Security Agency.

Malyuk emphasized that the Polish side acted professionally.

Second assassination attempt

Malyuk also recalled that last year, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained colonels of the State Guard Department who were plotting to assassinate President Zelenskyy. The perpetrators were working for the FSB’s 5th Service.

"As part of their criminal plan, they were recruiting individuals and were supposed to carry out the assassination during the president’s movement on the premises of the Office of the President of Ukraine," the SBU chief clarified.

At that time, the FSB’s 5th Service was headed by Lieutenant General Serhiy Beseda. Following the failed operation, Russian President Vladimir Putin removed him from the post.

"From our side, it was an extremely complex operation. We worked on it for nearly two years — essentially from the beginning of the war. We conducted deep agent and technical infiltration into this group. In addition to planning an assassination attempt on the president, they were gathering and transmitting information, and were also preparing assassination attempts on my colleague Kyrylo Budanov (chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine) and me personally," Malyuk emphasized.

The plot involving colonels of the State Guard Department preparing to assassinate President Zelenskyy was first made public in May of last year.