Killers who were preparing mass murders of well-known Ukrainian journalists and military personnel for USD 100,000 detained

Law enforcement agencies have detained a group of killers who were preparing mass murders of well-known journalists and public figures in Ukraine.

It was reported by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, the press service of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, the press service of the National Police, the Ukrainian News agency reports.

The detention operation was conducted jointly with Moldovan law enforcement. The group of killers was preparing contract killings of well-known Ukrainian citizens and foreigners.

The investigation established that the members of the network acted under the supervision of the special services of the russian federation. They collected information about the movements, lifestyle, places of recreation, and residence of a certain number of people in order to organize the preparation and subsequent murder of them for a monetary reward.

The victims were to be well-known people in Ukraine, in particular, one of them was a representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Deputy Head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War Andrii Yusov.

The planned murders of these individuals, according to the organizers, were intended to cause a public outcry, negative media coverage of the security situation and be used for subversive activities against Ukraine.

The members of the organized group clearly distributed roles, planned the methods of murder, prepared the instruments of crime and thought out ways to escape. For each murder, the Russian side promised the perpetrators up to USD 100,000 - the amount depended on the information and influence of the potential victim.

To prevent the implementation of criminal plans, law enforcement officers simultaneously conducted more than 20 searches in several regions of Ukraine at the residences of persons allegedly involved in the preparation of contract killings.

During the investigation, the law enforcement seized mobile phones, computer equipment, weapons, ammunition and explosives. Correspondence with russian curators was recorded, which confirms the coordination of criminal activity.

7 people were detained in Ukraine. At the same time, urgent investigative actions were conducted in Moldova, where 3 more people were detained, including the organizer of the network and two of his accomplices.

The members of the criminal group were served a notice of suspicion. A motion to the court to choose custody as a measure of restraint is being prepared.

According to the SSU, the main "targets" of the enemy were: Ukrainian journalists and public figures, the head of a strategic enterprise and military personnel of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, including fighters of the Foreign Legion of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on August 30, a killer killed MP and former Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy in Lviv. He fired about 8 shots from a short-barreled firearm.