SBU foils Russia's FSB plot to assassinate prominent Ukrainian activist in Kyiv Oblast
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The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained a 19-year-old man suspected of plotting to assassinate prominent Ukrainian activist Hennadii Druzenko in Kyiv Oblast on orders from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the agency said on Sept. 10.
Druzenko, a lawyer, civic activist, and co-founder and president of the First Volunteer Mobile Hospital named after Mykola Pyrohov, confirmed in a Facebook post that the incident took place about a month and a half ago. On the same day, Russian security services also attempted to kill Ihor Obolienskyi, commander of Ukraine's Khartiia Corps, Druzenko added.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, the suspect, a 19-year-old resident of Mykolaiv, has been charged with treason, preparing a contract killing, and illegal possession of weapons.
The SBU said the suspect had been recruited by the FSB after coming to its attention through his social media activity, where he published posts supporting fascist and Nazi ideology.
After receiving the assignment, the suspect began tracking Druzenko's daily routine and movements. Investigators said the FSB provided him with coordinates for a weapons cache containing a pistol, ammunition, and a suppressor.
"The suspect planned to shoot the activist during his morning walk with his dog in the forest," the SBU said.
The suspect traveled armed to a forest belt in Vyshhorod district, Kyiv Oblast, on July 31, where a motorcycle had been left for him in advance. According to investigators, he planned to spend the night there and shoot Druzenko from an ambush the following morning.
SBU officers detained him while he was preparing for the alleged assassination, the agency said.
During searches, investigators seized three pistols fitted with suppressors, ammunition, and smartphones that the SBU said contained evidence of his work for the FSB.
The suspect remains in custody and faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property if convicted, the SBU added.
Russian intelligence services have repeatedly recruited Ukrainian citizens to carry out assassination attempts against Ukrainian military personnel and other public figures. The attempted attack on Obolienskyi, a Hero of Ukraine, was among several such cases reported in 2026.
