Plot to Kill Russian Dissident: SBU Detains Hitwoman Sent via Belarus

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it had detained an alleged Russian agent accused of preparing to assassinate a Russian opposition figure in Kyiv on behalf of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). According to an SBU statement published on Tuesday, Sept. 22, the unnamed “target” has fought for Ukraine since 2022 and currently heads a nationwide Ukrainian civic organization.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The man initially fought Russian forces in the Kyiv region before serving on the eastern front. He also works as a kickboxing coach at a gym in the Ukrainian capital. “The killer was supposed to shoot the activist with a combat pistol from an ambush near one of the capital’s gyms, where he works as a kickboxing coach,” the SBU said. Counterintelligence officers detained the suspect near the sports complex while she was allegedly scouting the surrounding area and selecting a firing position, according to the agency. Neither the suspected agent nor her intended target was identified. In this photo, released by the SBU on Sept. 22, 2026, a pistol and magazine allegedly intended for use in the planned assassination of a Russian opposition figure are displayed after being seized from the suspect’s hotel room (Photo by the SBU / Telegram). Other Topics of Interest Latvia Blocks EU Bid to Lift Oligarch Sanctions Riga rejected a compromise that would remove Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the EU blacklist. Pistol and ammunition recovered According to the SBU, the woman later received coordinates from her Russian handler directing her to a weapons cache in a forested area of Kyiv. She allegedly retrieved a pistol and ammunition intended for the assassination. Counterintelligence officers found the weapon during a search of her hotel room, the agency said. They also seized a smartphone allegedly used to communicate with the FSB officer overseeing the operation. The SBU said it had identified the handler but did not disclose further information about that person. The suspect has been notified that she is under investigation for high treason committed under martial law under Part 2 of Article 111 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code. She is being held without the possibility of bail and could face life imprisonment and confiscation of her property if convicted. The allegations have not yet been tested in court. The operation follows several other reported Russian assassination attempts in Ukraine. Earlier in September, the SBU said it had prevented an FSB plot to kill a civic activist during his morning dog walk and disrupted a separate alleged attack against a Russian opposition leader visiting Ukraine. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.