Ukraine’s safety companies says it has uncovered a community of brokers working for Russia who have been plotting to kill President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and different high officers.
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Ukraine says it has uncovered a community of spies working with Russia to assassinate the Ukrainian president in addition to different high officers. NPR’s Joanna Kakissis has extra from Kyiv.
JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE: This isn’t the primary time Russia has allegedly tried to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However Ukraine’s home intelligence company says, this time, the plot was way more subtle. Spokesman Artem Dekhtiarenko stated in a video assertion that Russia recruited spies contained in the State Guard of Ukraine, which protects Zelenskyy and high officers in his authorities.
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ARTEM DEKHTIARENKO: (By way of interpreter) The community included two colonels from the federal government safety unit who leaked categorized data to Russia. Certainly one of their duties was to seek for troopers near the president’s safety workforce who may kidnap and kill him.
KAKISSIS: Ukraine’s home intelligence company additionally posted a video of an unnamed suspect – a gray-haired man in a grey parka. His face is blurred.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Talking Russian).
KAKISSIS: He says he was instructed to gauge the temper contained in the president’s safety element and discover anybody prepared to affix the plot. The spokesman, Dekhtiarenko, says the Russians additionally deliberate to kill the heads of each the navy and the home intelligence companies.
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DEKHTIARENKO: (By way of interpreter) They deliberate to launch a missile strike on the coordinates of the home the place the official was alleged to be. Then they have been going to assault those that remained with a drone after which observe up with one other missile to destroy proof.
KAKISSIS: Ukraine launched audio of an alleged trade between a Russian safety companies officer and a suspect concerned within the assassination plot.
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UNIDENTIFIED OFFICER: (Talking Russian).
KAKISSIS: The Russian officer says, “when you full the duty, you’ll have not less than $50,000.”
The top of Ukraine’s home intelligence company, Vasyl Malyuk, stated in a press release posted to social media that he personally oversaw the top-secret operation to show the plot that might have killed him and the president. He known as it a terrorist assault that was alleged to be a present to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his inauguration on Tuesday. Joanna Kakissis, NPR Information, Kyiv.
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