Russian agents use false SBU identity in failed hit on Ukrainian battalion commander

According to the SBU, the Russian intelligence agency recruited a resident of Kamianske, deceiving him into believing he was working for the SBU.

“False-flag agent operations are a relatively new tactic for the Russian FSB,” the SBU said. “During recruitment conversations, FSB officers impersonate Ukrainian Security Service personnel and assign missions as if they were in Ukraine’s national interest.”

The Kamianske man, a veteran of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO), believed he had been tasked by the SBU with neutralizing a supposed Russian collaborator — not a Ukrainian military officer.

Investigators found that a female representative of the FSB, posing as an SBU officer, contacted the man via social media. She falsely claimed that an online pharmacy the man had previously used was allegedly financing Russian forces. She accused him of treason and claimed a criminal case had been opened against him. To escalate the pressure, the FSB sent him a forged summons for interrogation at the SBU.

To "avoid prosecution," she then offered him a chance to "cooperate" with the SBU. He was given a fake application form to join the agency and instructed to travel to Kyiv.

The FSB manipulatively played on the man’s patriotic beliefs. He sincerely believed he was helping Ukraine by "eliminating enemies." In messages to his handler, he even expressed readiness to sacrifice his own life to destroy occupiers.

After arriving in Kyiv, he was ordered to rent an apartment in a residential complex where, according to the FSB, the target — Commander Filimonov — was living. He began surveillance of Filimonov’s car.

The FSB handler falsely labeled Filimonov as a "traitor" allegedly guiding missile strikes on Kyiv. After one of Russia’s mass missile attacks on the capital, the handler told the man his target was responsible.

He regularly sent photo reports to the handler, including images from the building courtyard and details of Filimonov’s movements.

Eventually, the FSB provided coordinates to a weapons cache on the outskirts of Kyiv, where the man retrieved an assault rifle. After acquiring the weapon, he continued surveillance and later received direct orders to assassinate the Ukrainian officer.

SBU operatives arrested the man as he exited his apartment with the loaded firearm. During the search, agents seized his phone, which contained communications with the FSB handler. He has been charged with illegal possession of weapons and ammunition.

The SBU emphasized that it does not recruit operatives by phone, does not instruct individuals to commit illegal acts, and does not assign suspicious tasks.

Note: Under Article 62 of Ukraine’s Constitution, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Filimonov responds

Commander Serhii Filimonov responded via Telegram to news of the attempted assassination plot.

"Today, the FSB and all its allies badly wanted me dead. But thanks to the clear and professional work of Ukraine’s Security Service, Russia has once again failed," he wrote.

"My sincere thanks to SBU Chief Vasyl Maliuk and the entire team for their swift intervention," he added.