The Russians planned the assassination of the commander of the "Da Vinci’s Wolves," Serhiy Filimonov

This was reported by the press service of the Security Service of Ukraine.

For the crime execution, the Russian special service recruited a resident of Dnipropetrovsk region, posing as representatives of the SSU.

"Covert operations ’under a false flag’ is a relatively new tactic for the Russian special service," the SSU reported.

According to the investigation, during recruitment contacts, FSB representatives impersonated agents of the Security Service of Ukraine, giving the agent tasks supposedly in the interest of the state. In this way, they involved a participant of the ATO from Kamyanske, who was convinced that he was helping the SSU in eliminating a spotter working for Russia.

According to the investigation, a woman who introduced herself as an SSU officer called the man through a social network. She claimed that the online store where the subject had previously ordered medications allegedly finances Russian military forces. This information was used to charge the Ukrainian with "state treason" and to notify him of a fictitious criminal case.

"To intensify psychological pressure, FSB representatives sent him a fake notice to appear for interrogation at the SSU," the statement reads.

He was then offered alleged cooperation with the Service in exchange for closing the case. For this, he received a questionnaire for "admission to the SSU" and was instructed to come to Kyiv.

The SSU claims that FSB curators manipulated the Ukrainian’s patriotic beliefs. He was convinced that he was helping the Ukrainian special services and expressed a willingness to fight the occupiers even at the cost of his own life.

In Kyiv, the subject was assigned to rent an apartment near the house where, according to the FSB, Filimonov lived, and begin surveillance of his vehicle. The Russian special service representative tried to convince the man that the Armed Forces commander was a "traitor" directing strikes on Kyiv.

After one of the missile strikes on the capital, the curator assured the subject that the responsibility for this was precisely the "object" of surveillance. The agent regularly sent photo reports to the curator, including photographs of the yard and descriptions of the military’s movements.

Later, the subject received coordinates of a cache on the outskirts of Kyiv, where automatic weaponry was hidden. After obtaining a Kalashnikov rifle, the man continued surveillance and later received the order to eliminate Filimonov.

SSU officers detained him as he was stepping out with the prepared weapon. During the search, a mobile phone was seized, through which the subject communicated with the FSB curator.