Photo: SBU
One assassination carried out by Russian intelligence was valued at up to $100,000, depending on the target's status.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the National Police, and the General Inspectorate of the Police of the Republic of Moldova dismantled an agent-combat group of Russian intelligence that was preparing a series of high-profile assassinations in Ukraine. As Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko stated on Friday morning, the aim was to sow fear and panic in society.
The large-scale special operation, code-named “Enigma 2.0,” was conducted across both countries because the perpetrators were being brought into Ukraine via Moldova. They monitored journalists, military personnel, and public figures—tracking addresses, routes, and habits. The operation was only awaiting the final command to carry out the killings.
According to the SBU, the group primarily targeted Ukrainian journalists and public figures, the head of a strategic enterprise, and military personnel from the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, including fighters of the Foreign Legion.
To carry out the assassinations, the criminal group prepared multiple methods: from close-range shootings to car explosions. For each killing, Russian intelligence promised rewards of up to $100,000, depending on the status of the target.
Ultimately, Ukrainian and Moldovan law enforcement detained the leader of the hostile cell—a 34-year-old recidivist from Moldova—along with two of his agents and accomplices from Ukraine, the EU, and the unrecognized Transnistria. Investigations indicate the cell leader had been recruited by Russian intelligence while serving time in a Russian prison and later sent to Moldova to assemble an agent-combat group. When selecting members, he prioritized pro-Kremlin views and military experience.
The agents were divided into teams: one monitored the whereabouts and routines of potential targets, while the other consisted of the “hitmen” tasked with carrying out the assassinations.
The group entered Ukraine posing as tourists and settled in different regions while maintaining contact with the cell leader in Moldova, receiving funds through crypto wallets and foreign bank cards. In Ukraine, the agents posed as delivery couriers, photographing and recording the movements of their intended victims.
During searches of the detained individuals, authorities seized firearms, ammunition, combat grenades, and communication devices. The SBU announced that the suspects were charged under multiple articles of the Ukrainian Criminal Code:
Part 1, Article 14, Paragraph 11, Part 2, Article 115 (preparation for premeditated murder on order)
Part 1, Article 263 (illegal handling of weapons, ammunition, or explosives)
Additional charges against the cell leader and members are under consideration. All detainees face life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
For context, in July 2025, SBU Colonel Ivan Voronych, an officer of the Alpha Center for Special Operations, was shot dead in Kyiv near his car in a residential area. The suspects initially fled the scene but were later tracked by the SBU. The killers attempted to hide in Kyiv Oblast, resisted arrest, and were neutralized.
