Top Ukrainian official gives inside look at the war with Russia

On September 10, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced the arrest of a 19-year-old man suspected of collaborating with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) to assassinate Ukrainian activist Hennadii Druzenko in Kyiv Oblast. Druzenko, a lawyer, civic activist, and co-founder of the Mykola Pyrohov Memorial Hospital, confirmed the incident occurred about 1.5 months prior.

Upon the same day, the FSB allegedly attempted to murder Ihor Obolienskyi, the commander of Ukraine's Khartiia Corps. Druzenko stated these attempts took place via Russian security services. The Prosecutor General's Office charged the suspect with treason, planning a contract killing, and illegally possessing weapons. The suspect, a 19-year-old from Mykolaiv, was charged after being recruited by the FSB, who discovered him through his social media posts advocating fascist and Nazi ideologies.

The suspect's plan involved tracking Druzenko's daily routine, including his morning walks with his dog in the forest. Investigators revealed that the FSB supplied the suspect with the location of a weapons cache, which included a pistol, ammunition, and a suppressor. The suspect had been in the Vyshhorod district of Kyiv Oblast, armed, on July 31, and had planned to spend the night there before attempting the assassination the following morning.

Upon detaining the suspect, the SBU seized three pistols with suppressors, ammunition, and smartphones containing evidence of his FSB association. The suspect remains in custody and faces life imprisonment if convicted. This incident is part of a pattern of Russian intelligence services recruiting Ukrainian citizens to carry out assassination attempts against Ukrainian military personnel and other public figures.