How Ukraine's Security Service Foiled a Plot to Assassinate President Zelenskyy on February 24.

An Assassination Plot Against the President

According to TSN.ua: In the initial days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the nation's security services received intelligence about a plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A secret intelligence report detailing this threat was delivered to him on February 22, 2022. This information proved critically important as events unfolded in the following days, highlighting the extreme dangers faced by Ukraine's leadership from the war's outset.

On February 23, 2022, Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda. This high-stakes diplomatic engagement occurred against a backdrop of escalating regional tension, as the threat from Russia grew increasingly imminent.

Evacuation and Security Measures

On February 24, the day Russian missiles began attacking Ukrainian cities, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was urgently evacuated from the Presidential Office due to the threat of airstrikes. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) successfully thwarted the plans to eliminate the Ukrainian president. This decisive action occurred during a period of maximum vulnerability, as Russian forces launched their assault on the capital, Kyiv.

“This might be the last time they see him alive.” - Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The events of those days marked a crucial phase in Ukraine's fight for its independence and security.

The intelligence about the assassination plot against President Zelenskyy and the events of February 2022 underscore the critical role of security and intelligence services under the threat of war. These facts reveal the extreme level of risk faced by Ukrainian authorities at the conflict's onset and highlight the importance of international support for regional stability.

The response to the threats that emerged during those pivotal days was decisive for Ukraine's subsequent trajectory, particularly in preserving the country's leadership during a national crisis.