Kyiv, 21 February (H.S.):

Ukrainian and Moldovan law enforcement agencies dismantled a Moscow-orchestrated assassination network on Friday, arresting 10 suspects plotting contract killings of prominent Ukrainians and foreigners, including military intelligence officials, with promised payments scaling to $100,000 per high-profile victim.

Dubbed Enigma 2.0, the joint operation involved Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), National Police, and Moldova's Police, culminating in 20 searches across Ukraine that yielded cash, firearms, explosives, and digital communications linking perpetrators to Russian handlers.

Seven arrests occurred in Ukraine, while Moldova detained three more, including the 34-year-old ringleader—a former Russian prison inmate recruited by intelligence operatives to oversee the cell from Transnistria and EU states.

Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko publicly identified Andriy Yusov, the Main Intelligence Directorate's (HUR) strategic communications representative and deputy head of prisoner-of-war coordination, as a confirmed target, amid broader aims against journalists, activists, strategic enterprise leaders, HUR members, and International Legion participants.

The syndicate divided into surveillance teams tracking routines and hitmen primed for shootings or car bombings, with bounties tiered by victims' notoriety and influence, funneled via electronic wallets.

This foiled scheme follows repeated Kyiv accusations of Russian kill plots against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and intelligence chiefs since the 2022 invasion, mirroring Moscow's counter-claims of Ukrainian hits on its figures.

Moldova corroborated the probe into physical liquidations of Ukrainian public figures, but the Kremlin offered no immediate response, underscoring persistent hybrid warfare tactics amid stalled peace efforts. The operation highlights Transnistria's role as a Kremlin proxy hub, with suspects infiltrating Ukraine as tourists and renting safe houses nationwide.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar