In the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, agents reportedly rented apartments near the Office of the President in Kyiv with the intent to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky. This operation was part of a broader Kremlin strategy aimed at seizing control of Ukraine.
According to sources close to the situation, Zelensky faced multiple assassination attempts, with plans to either capture or kill him if he did not flee. A CNN report highlighted that Russian operatives were specifically tasked with eliminating the Ukrainian leader.
“In the initial days of the war, there was a joke that Zelensky had become a comedian—his former profession—because he was unafraid of the bombings. His remarkable survival skills and humor during this period reflected the resilient spirit of the nation,” journalists noted.
President Zelensky himself has confirmed that he was targeted in several assassination attempts at the onset of the conflict. He indicated that during one such attempt within the Office of the President, there were casualties.
By March 2024, Zelensky reported over ten assassination attempts against him. In April of that year, Ukrainian and Polish intelligence uncovered a Russian agent who was involved in planning an attack during Zelensky’s visit to Poland.
Further developments emerged in May 2024, when the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) dismantled a network of agents plotting to kill Zelensky, along with key officials from the SBU and the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR). This investigation revealed connections to a senior official within the State Protection Administration.
In June 2025, Vasyl Malyuk, then head of the SBU, disclosed that there were plans for an assassination attempt on Zelensky in Poland. The suspect was identified as a retired Polish military officer who had been recruited by Russian intelligence decades earlier. This individual was deeply committed to the idea of the Soviet Union, which led Moscow to activate him for its purposes.
The plan involved physically eliminating President Zelensky at the Rzeszów Airport, with various methods under consideration, including the use of an FPV drone or a sniper rifle. However, the attempt was thwarted by SBU agents in collaboration with Polish law enforcement.
This article outlines the series of assassination attempts against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the early stages of Russia's invasion. It details the involvement of Russian agents and the efforts of Ukrainian and Polish intelligence to thwart these plots.