- Ukraine's security service said it foiled a Russian attempt to assassinate President Zelenskyy.
- It learned of the attack in advance and was able to keep Zelenskyy safe, it said.
Ukraine's security service said it foiled an effort to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with an airstrike, and that it detained a collaborator who tried to reveal his location.
The SBU said Monday that Russia planned to use information gathered by the alleged informant to launch a massive airstrike on the southern Mykolaiv region while Zelenskyy was visiting.
A spokeswoman for Ukraine's armed forces said the SBU was able to "foil the attack on the president during a recent trip to Mykolaiv," describing it as an "aborted assassination attempt."
The woman tried to figure out the timings and route for Zelenskyy's visit, but the SBU learned about her efforts in advance and put extra security in place during his trip, the SBU said.
"Zelenskyy is safe, the plot was foiled in advance," the spokeswoman said.
By tracking the woman they also found she was trying to locate where Ukraine's electronic warfare systems and ammunition warehouses were placed, the SBU said.
It published screenshots of text messages consistent with an exchange between an informant and handler but with few specifics.
The woman was arrested on Monday after Ukraine learned the extent of her "treason," the armed forces spokeswoman said.
She now faces up to 12 years in prison, the SBU said, identifying her as a resident of the city of Ochakov, in Mykolaiv, and a former saleswoman in a military store.
The armed forces spokeswoman said she was "turned collaborator by FSB agents and continued to work for them."
The FSB is Russia's main security and spy agency.
It's not clear when the attack on Zelenskyy was planned. He was last recorded visiting Mykolaiv at the end of July, though he also made trips there earlier in the war.
Other Russian attempts to assassinate Zelenskyy have been reported.
Zelenskyy survived at least three assassination attempts from Russia-backed agents in the first few weeks of the invasion, The Times reported.
Zelenskyy himself said he carried a pistol and would have fought to the death if Russian forces had got into his headquarters.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly visited the front lines since Russia launched its full-fledged invasion, with his office typically announcing his visits after he has already left, in order to reduce the risks on his life.
Ukrainian officials and lawmakers told Politico this month that Ukraine had a plan in place if Zelenskyy is killed.