Ukrainian security officials said on Monday that a plot to overthrow the federal government in the capital, Kiev, had been thwarted, as Russia stepped up its attacks on the city.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced that, following an investigation that began in May, four Ukrainian civilians were detained over the weekend on suspicion of plotting a coup by threatening to seize parliament and replace military and civilian leadership.
Ukrainian authorities have offered few details about the plans but said “activists” were operating under the pretext of holding a peaceful rally in Kiev on Sunday.
A group of four people have been arrested in Ukraine on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. (Photo provided by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine)
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Despite the exchange of opposition messages on social media, most attendees at the event were unaware that the group intended to “force” people to “elect a provisional government,” Ukraine’s prosecutor’s office claimed in a Telegram post.
It is unclear whether the group had any ties to Russian authorities, but the SBU said the plot “would have played into Russia’s hands”.
Reports earlier this year said U.S. and European intelligence officials had accused Moscow of stepping up covert operations against Kiev and its international allies in an effort to undermine support for Ukraine.
Rescue workers stand in front of a building damaged by a Russian missile, in Kiev, Ukraine, June 30, 2024. (Serhii Korovayny/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
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Russia has recently gained the upper hand in the situation in Ukraine, and security officials said Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was taking a new approach in attacking Kiev.
“The aggressors are testing new tactics and are looking for the right time, ways and means,” the Kyiv city junta said in a Telegram post.
The administration noted that no ballistic or cruise missiles were used in the latest attack on the city on Sunday, but warned citizens not to ignore air raid sirens that have plagued the city for more than two years.
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“Any airborne warnings cannot be ignored,” the administration said in a post. “The rocket was shot down, but the fragments did not disintegrate and the debris poses a threat to human life.”
