DISINFO: Washington and London orchestrated a plot to kill Zelensky
SUMMARY
The simultaneous dismissal of the head of Zelensky's personal protection unit and the appointment of former Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny as Ukraine's ambassador to the UK leaves no doubt about what happened, a failed attempt to kill Zelensky, orchestrated by the West.
Zelensky's assassination should have been followed by a military coup, which would have brought Zaluzhny himself or another political figure to government, for example, former president Petro Poroshenko, a public opponent of the president.
The coup plotters were counting on the timing, with Zelensky's mandate expiring in May and therefore being able to accredit themselves as defenders of democracy in the face of a president who had artificially extended his mandate, cancelling the elections for artificial reasons.
RESPONSE
Far-out conspiracy theory. No evidence provided. This claim aims to undermine Ukraine’s leadership by portraying it as hopelessly divided, and to erode the image of president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a frequent target of pro-Kremlin disinformation, by framing him as out of control and losing the favour of Western countries that support Ukraine’s war efforts. The claim taps into the frequent Kremlin trick of promoting conspiracies.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did sack the head of his personal protection unit Serhiy Rud after two of its top officials were detained over an alleged assassination plot.
No reason was given for his dismissal, which was announced in a brief presidential decree.
However, the state guard administration (UDO) is critical for the safety of the president, other key figures in Ukraine and their families.
The two colonels in the state guard who were detained on May 7 are suspected of belonging to a network of agents run by Russia's FSB security service.
Zelenskyy has spoken of repeated Russian plots to assassinate him.
The head of the SBU state security service, Vasyl Malyuk, said that the plot was due to culminate with a “gift to Putin” before his fifth term as president was inaugurated on May 7.
Individuals close to President Zelenskyy's bodyguard were meant to kidnap and kill him, while military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov would have been attacked with rockets, drones and anti-tank grenades, the SBU said.
There was no suggestion that Serhiy Rud, 47, had any link to the allegations, although one of the two colonels in detention, Andriy Huk, was his personal friend. Ukrainian reports said they had studied together in the border troops academy many years ago.
Ever since Russian paratroopers attempted to land in Kyiv and assassinate President Zelenskyy in the early hours and days of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, plots to assassinate him have been common place.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the general who led Ukraine's defence in the first two years of Russia's full-scale invasion, was replaced in February 2024, appointed as Ukraine's ambassador to the UK in May and given the title “Hero of Ukraine”.
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