According to the investigation, Moldovan citizens were recruited for the murders.
Agents arrived in Ukraine, where they collected information about potential targets: places of residence and work, travel routes, places of stay, and also worked out possible methods of committing murder. After which they waited for instructions from the curator, who maintained contact with representatives of the Russian special services.
According to the National Police, potential targets included:
- a well-known journalist who in Russia was officially called an “extremist” and put on the wanted list;
- head of a strategic state enterprise;
- top military: active officers of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (in particular, soldiers of the Foreign Legion) and Special Operations Forces;
- a social activist who moved from Russia and takes an active pro-Ukrainian position.
The National Police also reported that on February 19, on the territory of Moldova, law enforcement officers detained a 34-year-old curator of an intelligence-combat group, as well as persons involved in the intelligence network.
Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko added that one of the goals should be the representative on strategic communications of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the MOU, Deputy Chairman of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Andrey Yusov.
“The members of the organized group clearly assigned roles, planned methods of murder, prepared the crime weapon and thought through ways to escape,” he said.
According to him, for each murder the Russian side promised the perpetrators up to $100 thousand. The amount depended on the fame and influence of the potential victim.
Kravchenko also said that law enforcement officers simultaneously conducted more than 20 searches in several regions of Ukraine at the places of residence of persons allegedly involved in the preparation of contract killings.
Seven people were detained in Ukraine, and three more were detained in Moldova (the organizer of the network and his two accomplices).
They were informed of the suspicion. A petition to the court to select a preventive measure in the form of detention is being prepared, the prosecutor general added.
