Ukraine’s Security Service arrests two Ukrainian colonels involved in a Russian plot to assassinate Zelenskyi. Russia advances in four regions, ISW says. Putin sworn into his fifth term as Russia’s leader.
Ukraine’s Security Service arrests two Ukrainian colonels involved in Russian plot to assassinate Zelenskyi
Ukraine’s Security Service said it had exposed a network of agents from the 5th Service of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) who were preparing the assassination of President Zelenskyi and other senior Ukrainian officials.
Ukraine’s Security Service said it had foiled the plot with the help of the leadership of the Department of State Security, which protects top officials.
The FSB coordinated the network from Moscow. Ukraine’s Security Service arrested two colonels of the Department of State Security of Ukraine who were part of the network. They were sending secret information to Russia.
“One of the tasks of the FSB intelligence network was to search for perpetrators among the military close to the protection of the President, who could take the Head of State hostage and later kill him,” Ukraine’s Security Service said.
The other top Ukrainian officials targeted in the plot included Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk, the head of Ukraine’s Security Service, and Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency.
As for the assassination attempt aimed at Budanov, the agency said it was planned to take place before Orthodox Easter, which was celebrated on May 5.
Ukraine’s Security Service described Russia’s plan: “First, the recruited agent had to observe the movement of the person under guard and pass information to the Russians. According to the coordinates of the house where the official was supposed to be, a rocket attack was planned. Then they were going to attack the people who remained at the affected area with a drone. After that, the Russians planned to target [the site] with another missile, including to destroy traces of the use of the drone.”
A colonel from the Department of State Security brought weapons for the agent to Kyiv that included FPV drones, charges for RPG-7 hand-held grenade launchers, and MON-90 antipersonnel mines.
The colonel traveled to another part of Ukraine to bring drones and explosives to Kyiv, Ukraine’s Security Service said. The agency has also recorded conversations between the potential perpetrator of the terrorist act and his FSB “curator.”
“A limited circle of people knew about our special operation, and I personally controlled its progress,” head of Ukraine’s Security Service, Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk said. “The attack, which was supposed to be an inauguration gift for Putin, was in fact a failure of the Russian intelligence service. But we must not forget — the enemy is strong and experienced, they cannot be underestimated. We will continue to work proactively so that every traitor receives the justice they deserve,” Malyuk added.
Ukraine’s Security Service identified members of FSB’s 9th Directorate of the Department of Operational Information of the 5th Service — Maksim Mishustin, Dmitriy Perlin and Aleksey Kornev as running the operation from Moscow.
Russia advances in four regions, ISW says
Russian forces recently made confirmed advances in four Ukrainian regions: northwest of Svatove, in Luhansk region, near Avdiyivka, in Donetsk region, in Robotyne, in Zaporizhzhia region, and in east (left) bank Kherson region, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a report on May 6.
In Luhansk region (where it borders on Kharkiv region), Russian forces recently marginally advanced northwest of Svatove amid continued ground attacks along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line on May 6. Geolocated footage published on May 5 and 6 shows that Russian forces marginally advanced east of Stelmakhivka and south of Krokhmalne (both northwest of Svatove), respectively, and a Russian milblogger reported that Russian forces advanced 300 meters on the eastern outskirts of Stelmakhivka. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) claimed on May 6 that Russian forces captured Kotlyarivka (northwest of Svatove), and Russian milbloggers subsequently claimed that the capture of Kotlyarivka allowed elements of the Russian 1st Guards Tank Army (Moscow Military District [MMD]) to completely seize Kyslivka (northwest of Svatove), but ISW has not observed visual confirmation of these claims. Russian milbloggers previously claimed that Russian forces captured Kyslivka on April 27.
In Donetsk region, Russian forces recently advanced southwest of Avdiivka amid continued offensive operations west of the settlement on May 6. Geolocated footage published on May 6 shows that Russian forces advanced along the E50 highway in eastern Netaylove (southwest of Avdiivka). Ukrainian and Russian sources reported that fighting continued in Netaylove.
Russian forces recently made confirmed advances in western Zaporizhia Oblast amid continued positional engagements in the area on May 6. Geolocated footage published on May 6 indicates that Russian forces advanced in southern Robotyne. Ukrainian and Russian sources stated that positional engagements continued in Robotyne. A Russian milblogger claimed that part of Robotyne is a contested “gray zone.”
Russian forces recently made confirmed advances in east (left) bank Kherson Oblast amid continued positional engagements in the area on May 6. Geolocated footage published on May 6 indicates that Russian forces advanced north of Oleshky (southeast of Kherson City). Positional engagements continued near Krynky. Ukrainian Southern Operational Command Spokesperson Captain Third Rank Dmytro Pletenchuk stated that Russian forces are using up to 300 strike drones per day against Ukrainian positions throughout southern Ukraine. Pletenchuk also stated that Russian forces are trying to gain control over Nestryha Island in the Dnipro River Delta (southwest of Kherson City) and are suffering significant losses.
Putin sworn into fifth term as Russia’s leader
Vladimir Putin was sworn in for a new six-year term as Russia’s leader on Tuesday. The ceremony has taken place five times now since 2000.
Giving the oath, Putin swore “to respect and protect the rights and freedoms of man and citizen.”
“We are looking forward confidently,” he stressed in his speech. “Together, we will win!” Russia “does not refuse dialogue with Western states,” he said. Rather, he said, “the choice is theirs: do they intend to continue trying to contain Russia, continue the policy of aggression, continuous pressure on our country for years, or look for a path to cooperation and peace.”
“Ukraine sees no legal grounds for recognizing him as the democratically elected and legitimate president of the Russian Federation,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “During the so-called March ‘elections,’ the Russian Federation violated numerous international documents that serve as the foundation for the modern system of international relations,” it added.
The ceremony was boycotted by the U.S., UK, and most European envoys.
Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell earlier said that “the right thing to do is not to attend this inauguration.”
The European Parliament has passed a resolution, condemning the “election” in occupied territories of Ukraine and urging the member states “not to recognize the outcome of the Russian presidential election as legitimate.”
The Countdown to Collapse: Identifying Indicators in the Russian Federation. Ukraine in Flames #608
Analysts from different countries have been discussing the likelihood of the collapse of the Russian Federation as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine for a long time. Russia’s neighbors and the West have been living with a deeply unstable and unpredictable Russia for three decades. Whatever the reasons for this state of affairs, there is almost zero chance that Russia will suddenly overcome its instability and unpredictability and stop its slide towards disintegration. Watch Ukraine in Flames #608 to find out who and what could cause the collapse of the Russian Federation, as well as the signs indicating the beginning of such a collapse.
Guests:
- Valeriy Pekar, Lecturer of the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School (KMBS)
- Yuriy Oliynyk, Head of Research Programs of the Analytical Center “Ukrainian Studies of Strategic Research”