Law enforcement officers foiled an assassination attempt on the commander of the Khartiya Corps
Ukrainian law enforcement officials said they had foiled an assassination attempt on the commander of the “Charter” Corps. According to the investigation, a 69-year-old resident of Kharkiv was recruited by Russian intelligence services, which posed as SBU officers and used a fake image created with artificial intelligence.
The National Police, in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the prosecutor’s office, reported that an assassination attempt on the commander of the “Charter” Corps had been foiled. A 69-year-old resident of Kharkiv was detained on suspicion of planning the crime. According to the investigation, the man was recruited by representatives of Russian intelligence services. They operated “under a false flag”—posing as employees of the Security Service of Ukraine.
To convince the man to carry out the mission, his handler provided him with false information about the “Charter” Corps commander’s alleged collaboration with Russia. Law enforcement officials claim that an image generated by artificial intelligence was used for this purpose. In the image, the soldier was supposedly standing on Red Square in Moscow wearing a T-shirt with the “Z” symbol.
According to the investigation, this very photo was intended to serve as “proof” for the recruited man. Afterward, as reported by the police, the suspect was provided with a firearm via a courier. Law enforcement officials are currently working to identify him and are also investigating whether other individuals were involved in organizing the crime.
The man was detained in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. A notice of suspicion is currently being prepared against him under Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, “Intentional Homicide,” and Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, “Illegal Handling of Weapons, ammunition, or explosive substances.”
The pretrial investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement officials are clarifying all the circumstances surrounding the preparation of the assassination attempt and identifying other possible participants. The police also urged Ukrainians to be cautious. “Do not trust people who, via messaging apps, claim to be law enforcement officers and offer to carry out illegal or suspicious tasks,” law enforcement officials emphasized.
Citizens are also asked to immediately notify the police or the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) if they receive such messages or have information about possible activities by Russian special services in Ukraine. This was reported by the press service of the National Police of Ukraine.
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