Mysterious Fraudsters Are Exploiting the Plot to Kill Zelensky

When the Ukrainian government announced it had foiled an assassination plot against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top officials, Russian disinformation operatives got to work.

The plot was simple, according to the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU): The suspects—two colonels in the State Security Administration—had plans to off Zelensky, as well as SBU Chief Vasily Malyuk and the chief Ukrainian military intelligence official, Kirill Budanov. Kyiv said two colonels who were detained were Russian agents working to kill the officials in order to give a “gift” to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the eve of his swearing into office for his fifth term.

Infobrics.org, a known Russian disinformation site that U.S. officials say is tied to Russian intelligence, has glommed on to the assassination plot as a way to denigrate Ukraine’s alliance with the west and deny Russia was involved.

Read more at The Daily Beast.