Zelenskyy of Ukraine fires the head bodyguard when the assassination plot fails
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the director of the agency in charge of his personal safety on Thursday, after the detention of two of the agency’s officials this week on suspicion of plotting an assassination.
“Dismiss Sergiy Leonidovich Rud from the post of head of the State Protection Department of Ukraine” was the decree that Zelenskyy released. It did not provide an explanation for Rud’s dismissal or identify someone to take over the very delicate role.
The declaration followed the SBU security agency of Ukraine’s Tuesday announcement that it had thwarted a Russian plan to kill Zelenskyy and other high-ranking officials. It claimed to have arrested two colonels from the bodyguard division on charges of providing sensitive information to the rival FSB security agency in Russia.
It was claimed that one of them had given an agent anti-personnel mines, drones, and rocket rounds directly so they could conduct strikes. Since 2019, Rud, 47, has served as the department’s chief, supervising the personal protection of the president, other high-ranking officials, and their families.
Russia has targeted Zelenskyy since its invasion in February 2022. He claimed to have knowledge of at least “five or six” failed assassination attempts on him last year.
