Arrest in ‘plot to assassinate Zelenskyy’

A plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy in Poland has been foiled by the arrest of a spy for Russian military intelligence, authorities in Warsaw say.

The man, a Polish citizen identified only as Pawel K, had contacted Russia’s intelligence agency, the GRU, and offered to help them kill the Ukrainian leader, the Polish state prosecutor’s office said.

The man was recruited and tasked with finding weaknesses in the security of Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, close to the Ukrainian border and frequently used by Zelenskyy to fly abroad, Ukrainian law enforcement sources told The Times.

The airport, which is heavily guarded by United States Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems and Nato troops, is also used by foreign dignitaries on their way to Kyiv and as a hub for western military aid crossing into Ukraine.

“His tasks included collecting and providing the military intelligence of the Russian Federation with information on the security of the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport. This was, among other things, to help Russian special services plan a possible attack on the life of the head of a foreign state – President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy,” the Polish prosecutor’s office said.

“The findings of the investigation show the suspect Pawel K declared his readiness to act for the military intelligence of the Russian Federation and established contacts with citizens of the Russian Federation directly involved in the war.”

Prosecutors specified that the man was charged with “readiness to act for foreign intelligence against the Republic of Poland” and would be held under temporary arrest while the investigation continued. If convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison.

The plot highlighted the Kremlin’s continued threat to Ukraine’s western allies, Kyiv said. –