Zelenskyy dismisses state guards chief over alleged plot
A look back at the dismissal of Serhiy Rud, head of the state guards, after allegations that two guards were involved in a plot against the president.
What led Ukraine's president to remove the head of his own protective service? On 10 May 2024, the question was still fresh after the decision reported a day earlier, on 9 May 2024: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired Serhiy Rud, head of the state guards.
The dismissal followed allegations that two members of the guards were involved in an assassination plot against Zelenskyy. As reported at the time, the allegations concerned people from within the body responsible for protecting the president, which made the matter especially sensitive.
The case belonged to a wider pattern described later. 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 Russo-Ukrainian war, including at least three that were foiled by Ukrainian security services.
The decision to dismiss Rud was taken at the top, by the president himself, and came amid the allegations against the two guards.
