FSS Planned to Assassinate Da Vinci Wolves Battalion Commander

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has thwarted plans by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) to assassinate Serhii Filimonov, commander of the 108th Separate Assault Battalion “Da Vinci Wolves”.

The SSU reported on this.

To commit the crime, the Russian intelligence agency recruited a resident of the Dnipropetrovsk region, disguising the operation as a mission for the SSU.

“Agent operations under a false flag are a relatively new tactic for the Russian intelligence service. During recruitment conversations, FSS representatives pose as Security Service officers and assign tasks to agents supposedly in Ukraine’s interest,” the SSU reported.

They noted that it was exactly this kind of “bait” that the Joint Forces Operation veteran from Kamianske fell for, believing the SSU had tasked him to eliminate an enemy spotter working for Russia.

According to the investigation, a representative of the Russian intelligence service contacted the man via one of the social networks, posing as an officer of the Security Service of Ukraine. During the conversation, she claimed that an online store where the man had previously ordered medical supplies was allegedly financing Russian troops. This fabricated information was used to accuse the Ukrainian citizen of “state treason” and to inform him of a supposedly opened criminal case against him.

The FSS operatives then sent the man a forged subpoena for questioning by the SSU to increase psychological pressure. After that, they offered him so-called “cooperation” with the Security Service of Ukraine in exchange for closing the criminal case. To make it appear legitimate, he was sent a mock application form to join the SSU and instructed to travel to Kyiv.

“FSS handlers manipulated the patriotic beliefs of the Ukrainian man, who sincerely believed he was helping the Ukrainian intelligence service fight the enemy,” the SSU stated. “In his correspondence with the handler, the man expressed his willingness to eliminate invaders – even at the cost of his own life.”

After arriving in Kyiv, the man was instructed to rent an apartment in a residential complex where, according to the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, the commander of the Da Vinci Wolves battalion lived, and to begin surveillance of his vehicle.

The Russian intelligence operatives portrayed the Ukrainian soldier as a “traitor” who was allegedly directing strikes on Kyiv. The recruited agent regularly sent photo reports to his handler, documenting visual surveillance and detailing the soldier’s movements.

Later, the man received the coordinates of a cache on the outskirts of Kyiv, where a Kalashnikov rifle had been hidden. He was then ordered to assassinate the Ukrainian serviceman. The recruited agent was apprehended as he stepped outside with the loaded weapon.

During the search, a mobile phone used for communication with the FSS handler was seized from the man. He has been officially charged under Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – illegal possession of weapons and ammunition.