Ukraine detains suspected intermediary in alleged Russian-backed plot to assassinate military intelligence official

Ukrainian law enforcement authorities have detained a 34-year-old man suspected of acting as an intermediary in an alleged Russian-backed plot to assassinate a senior military intelligence official, the Prosecutor General's Office said on June 23.

The target was Andrii Yusov, a representative of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) and deputy head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Yusov confirmed he was the target on June 8, after Ukraine's National Police first said that authorities had thwarted the assassination plot.

The detained man is the second suspect identified in the case,  after a 38-year-old Kyiv resident and former serviceman suspected of agreeing to carry out the killing was arrested on June 8. Investigators said the man had already begun preparations for the attack.

According to the Prosecutor General's Office, the newly identified suspect, a 34-year-old former serviceman, acted as a middleman between the organizers and the suspected hitman.

The suspect was detained on June 18 and remanded in custody the following day.

Investigators believe the operation was coordinated under the supervision of Russian handlers.

Prosecutors said an unidentified individual approached the suspect in early 2026 and offered him $100,000 to find someone willing to kill Yusov.

The suspect allegedly contacted his acquaintance in Kyiv, the 38-year-old man, and proposed that he take part in the assassination, providing him with the organizer's contact information. Between February and June 1, he repeatedly encouraged the man to carry out the killing, according to investigators.

According to the investigation, the suspected hitman previously detained in the case received a $22,000 advance in cryptocurrency to finance preparations for the attack. Organizers also allegedly supplied detailed information about Yusov, including his place of residence, daily routine, and personal habits.

The investigation is ongoing as authorities seek to identify the organizers and other participants involved in the alleged plot.

The case marks the second publicly known Russian-linked assassination plot targeting Yusov in recent months. In February, Ukrainian and Moldovan authorities announced the disruption of a Russian operation dubbed "Enigma 2.0" that sought to assassinate several prominent Ukrainians, including journalists, civic activists, military intelligence personnel, and Yusov.

"This latest attempt can also be seen as an assessment of my work at Ukraine's military intelligence and the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoners of War. It means we're doing everything right, and that's getting under the Russian occupiers' skin," Yusov said on Facebook on June 8.

"Russia is brutal and treacherous. Any Ukrainian could become its target today: from the soldier on the front line who risks his life every day defending the country, to the ordinary resident of a Ukrainian city living under the threat of terrorist missile and drone attacks," Yusov added.

The alleged plot is the latest in a series of Russian operations targeting Ukrainian officials, military personnel, and public figures since the start of the full-scale invasion.