Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired the head of his security detail on Friday. File Photo by Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/UPI | License Photo
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the head of his security detail on Friday after two of his colonels earlier in the week were arrested in an alleged assassination plot for Russia.
Serhiy Rud, who had served as chief of the State Guard Service or, UDO, was not implicated in the assassination plot against Zelensky and two other top Ukrainian officials, but was close personal friends with one of the colonels arrested, Andriy Huk. Advertisement
Ukrainian officials gave no official reason for Rud’s removal. Huk and another colonel are accused of being a part of a network of agents in Ukraine working for Russia’s FSB security services plotting to kill Zelensky and other top-ranking officials.
Ukraine’s state security service, called the SBU, said the latest assassination attempt sought to kill Zelensky, Vasyl Maliuk, who is the head of the SBU, and Kyrylo Budanov, who leads the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.
The SBU said the plot included a scheme where Zelensky would be kidnapped and killed while Maliuk and Budanov would have been killed by either drones, rockets or anti-tank grenades. Advertisement
Since the Russian invasion of 2022, Zelensky has faced several alleged assassination attempts and had a number of close calls during Russian military operations.
On March 6, a Russian missile struck close to Zelensky’s entourage while he was meeting with Greek officials in the port city of Odesa.
Last month, the Russian Interior Ministry placed Zelensky on its criminal “wanted” list for crimes it did not publicize.
