President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed an assassination attempt against Khartiia Brigade Commander Ihor Obolienskyi, stating that Ukraine will respond to this act. The attempt occurred in Kharkiv, and the suspect, a local resident, was reportedly misled by Russian operatives posing as SBU officers.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, the suspect was shown an AI-generated image of Obolienskyi next to the Kremlin with Russian symbols on a T-shirt. The individual approached the commander with a Makarov pistol that malfunctioned at the moment of attack. Surveillance and evidence are being analyzed to identify further accomplices.
The suspect received the weapon from an unidentified person in Kharkiv, as instructed by his handler. A criminal case has been opened, and the SBU is working to uncover the full extent of the involvement of Russian intelligence in this attempted assassination.
A Pattern of Sabotage
Russian intelligence services have historically used similar tactics to recruit Ukrainian citizens to carry out attacks on military and political figures. A recent incident saw the SBU detaining a Ukrainian drone operator tasked with assassinating Andrii Biletskyi, commander of the Third Army Corps.
In March, a network of 10 individuals was dismantled after planning contract killings of public figures, including Serhii Sternenko and Ilya Bogdanov. This pattern of targeted sabotage has continued into 2026, with Andrii Yusov being the target of at least two assassination attempts by Russian special services.
A similar case emerged in June when law enforcement detained a former military service member and his intermediary planning to kill Yusov in Kyiv using an FPV drone in exchange for $100,000.
The investigation into the attempted assassination of Obolienskyi is ongoing, with the SBU and law enforcement agencies working to identify accomplices and the source of the weapon used.