After Kyiv and Poland announced on Thursday the thwarting of a plot to assassinate Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev sarcastically commented on the news, suggesting it might indicate that the West has decided to "neutralize" the Ukrainian president. Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel: "The assassination attempt on the principal subordinate of Stepan Bandera in Poland (Zelensky) is truly serious. And the drug clown has a reason for great concern, as this is likely the first evidence that the West has decided to eliminate him. Beware, clown!"
This comes after Poland detained a man suspected of having contacted Russian intelligence and assisting in preparations for a potential assassination attempt on Ukrainian President Zelensky, according to statements from the public prosecutors' offices in both Kyiv and Warsaw. The detained Polish man, identified as Pawel, was said to have "gathered information and provided it to the military intelligence of the Russian Federation, particularly aiding the Russian special services in planning a potential assassination attempt on a foreign head of state, namely Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky," as stated by the Polish public prosecutor's office.
The statement added that the detainee showed "willingness to work for the Russian military intelligence and had communicated with Russian citizens directly involved in the war in Ukraine." The Polish prosecutor's office noted that Pawel's arrest followed a notification from his Ukrainian counterpart, which led to an investigation that allowed them to gather "essential evidence" of his involvement.
In Kyiv, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin stated that the detainee in Poland was specifically responsible for "gathering and transmitting information to the aggressor state regarding the security of the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport" in southeastern Poland, which is often used by the Ukrainian president during his foreign trips. This airport is also used by officials from other countries traveling to Ukraine and is utilized for aid convoys sent to the country.
Kostin said via the X platform that "this case indicates the ongoing threat posed by Russia not only to Ukraine and Ukrainians but also to the entire free world." The Ukrainian prosecutor accused the Kremlin of carrying out "sabotage operations on the territory of other sovereign states." According to the public prosecutors' offices in both Kyiv and Warsaw, Pawel has been placed in pre-trial detention. The Polish prosecutor's office pointed out that cooperation between the security agencies of the two countries allowed "evidence to be obtained also outside Poland."
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski congratulated the prosecutor's office and intelligence services in Warsaw on their work, noting on the X platform the "good cooperation with sister Ukraine." It is noteworthy that Poland, a NATO member, has been one of the main supporters of its neighbor Ukraine since the outbreak of the war with Russia in February 2022.
