Informant kept a close eye on Volodymyr Zelensky's latest movements for her Russian handlers
An informant who had been sharing intelligence with Russia for a plotto assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been arrested in Ukraine, according to authorities on Monday.
In an online statement, Ukraine's security service, SBU, shared that the unidentified woman had been "preparing an enemy airstrike on Mykolaiv region" during a recent visit by Volodymyr Zelensky.
The statement added that the woman was collecting information including the time and list of locations that the Ukrainian leader was scheduled to visit in the southern region.
According to NBC, an SBU spokesperson confirmed that Ukraine claimed that Zelensky was the target of the attack, but learned about the plot early and implemented additional security measures during the visit.
Under tight protection, the 45-year-old president travels the nation frequently, stopping at battlefronts and liberated cities and has been the victim of several aborted murder attempts in the early stages of the conflict.
It was believed that Moscow's forces had a major objective in mind for him.
The Ukrainian army's strategic assets are located close to the town of Ochakiv in the Mykolaiv region, which the SBU claimed the Russians were planning to use to launch a significant air strike on the area.
he SBU said it continued to document the woman's actions to learn more about her alleged Russian handlers and discovered that she was also given instructions to find these assets.
Furthermore, the woman, a former military shop saleswoman from Ochakiv, was apprehended while attempting to pass intelligence to Russians and faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted.
NBC reported that while it has not independently verified the Ukrainian claims, there was no immediate public reaction from the Kremlin.
Russia claimed Ukraine attempted to assassinate President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack on the Kremlin, which Ukraine denied.
Putin rarely makes public appearances near the front lines or inside Russia.
However, both Kyiv and Moscow have been striking behind each other's defensive lines, while Ukraine's counteroffensive has failed to produce a clear breakthrough on the battlefield.