Kyiv's security shake-up after the alleged plot against Zelenskyy
A look back at 13 May 2024, days after Ukraine's security service reported a foiled plan to kill the president and he dismissed his guards chief.
What was the state of play in Kyiv on 13 May 2024, after a week in which the security of the president's own protection unit came under scrutiny?
The week began on 7 May 2024, when the Security Service of Ukraine said it had detained two colonels from the government protection unit. According to the service, they had been recruited by Russia's Federal Security Service and were planning to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top Ukrainian officials.
Two days later, on 9 May 2024, Zelenskyy dismissed Serhiy Rud, the head of the state guards. The dismissal followed allegations that two members of the guards had been involved in the plot against the president.
A change at the top in Moscow
As that fallout continued, there was also a major personnel move on the Russian side. On 12 May 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin reassigned Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to the National Security Council. He replaced him with Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov.
Context
The alleged plot was not presented as an isolated case. Ukrainian officials and news sources have said Zelenskyy has survived dozens of assassination and kidnapping attempts by Russian or pro-Russian agents during the war, including at least three that Ukrainian security services foiled.
By 13 May 2024, the sequence of the arrests, the dismissal of the guards chief and the reshuffle in Russia's defence leadership had marked a notable few days in the war's political dimension.
