Zelenskyy dismisses state guards chief over alleged plot
A look back at the removal of Serhiy Rud, head of the state guards, amid allegations involving two of his officers.
What prompted the dismissal of the man in charge of protecting Ukraine's president? On 10 May 2024, the day after the decision, attention remained on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's removal of Serhiy Rud, head of the state guards.
The president fired Rud on 9 May 2024. The move followed allegations that two members of the guards were involved in an assassination plot against Zelenskyy.
The case belonged to a wider pattern. According to Ukrainian government officials and news sources, Zelenskyy has survived dozens of assassination and kidnapping attempts by Russian or pro-Russian agents during the war, including at least three that were foiled by Ukrainian security services.
The dismissal placed the question of security around the head of state at the centre of public debate in Kyiv.
