Two russian agent networks operated in Ukraine, in particular, to assassinate journalist Dmytro Gordon. One of the networks was headed by former regional people's deputy Vitaliy Hrushevskyi.
Vasyl Maliuk, head of the SSU, said this during a conversation with journalists, UNN reports.
Gordon triggers Russians. He has a large category of viewers who are in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories. Two networks worked on Gordon, which we can talk about. The first network was headed by a former regional people's deputy, now imprisoned, originally from Poltava region. The ex-people's deputy in question is Hrushevskyi Vitaliy Anatoliiovych
According to him, he carried out visual surveillance, the fsb instructed him, and also brought in several assistants. Among them were journalists, but they were not fully in contact with the fsb, although they performed separate tasks. And then they made a deal, and gave us detailed testimony.
The idea was to use an IED (improvised explosive device) or organize a missile and shahed strike. But only if Dmytro Gordon's presence in the relevant building was 100% confirmed. They were doing this for a long time. For surveillance, they used, among other things, technical means, including video recorders (a car with an online video recorder was parked opposite the office). They watched when Dmytro arrived and left. They "trampled" near his house, and for us, as professionals, it was on the surface
Maliuk noted that the SBU at that moment was already documenting, as this ex-people's deputy organized other sabotages and was in the field of view for organizing the undermining of a railway track in Poltava region.
When we started analyzing the information comprehensively, we realized that they were at the stage of further intelligence. In parallel, there was another group, this is the Dagestani ethno-national criminal community, which was used by the fsb. The leader of this group in Russia was given an appropriate legend. He is wanted there, allegedly in bad relations with the law enforcement system, with the fsb. He was sent here long before the full-scale war. He constantly performed fsb tasks, did it very professionally, very covertly
The head of the SBU reported that in Ukraine, the leader of this group entered into a relationship with the daughter of a former high-ranking official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in order to expand his capabilities.
Russia gave him money to organize a taxi service for cover and surveillance of objects, equipping all cars with video recorders. He developed Gordon's routes, locations, and residences, methods, and means of possible liquidation. He was looking for a motorcycle for one of the liquidation options. If Dmytro was alone, they planned to kill him with a short pistol, if with a guard - with a long weapon, that is, an automatic rifle, and then finish him off with a pistol
According to him, this group has also been detained, they are giving testimony. The leader of the group admitted the fact of cooperation with russian special services and preparing an assassination attempt on Gordon. For Gordon's murder, the fsb promised them a fee - 400 thousand dollars. Maliuk states that Gordon has a very large audience. He is watched and listened to in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories ("DNR/LNR", Zaporizhzhia, Kherson regions).
He works a lot, many people watched and watch him. He expresses pro-Ukrainian views sincerely and openly, which he "pulls" over the heads of Russians. Our Gordon triggers them specifically. The Putin regime considers him the main propagandist of Ukraine. In 2023, Putin signed an order giving instructions to organize terrorist acts in Ukraine, including this one and all those we talked about today. To create "diversionary noise" in Ukraine.
In addition, Maliuk spoke about preventing an assassination attempt on RDC fighter Illia Bohdanov.
This same Dagestani wing "hunted" for Bohdanov Illia, he currently serves in the RDC in the HUR. He is a former fsb officer who chose Ukraine, recognized Putin as an aggressor, and today lives and fights in Ukraine
Addition
The counterintelligence of the Security Service of Ukraine prevented a repeated assassination attempt on Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Gordon. As a result of a multi-stage special operation in Kyiv, four fsb agent-combat groups and their coordinator, who were preparing a contract killing, were simultaneously detained.