Ukraine foils ‘Russia-backed’ coup, arrests ‘plotters’

The Ukraine Security Service (SBU) says its operatives have foiled a suspected attempt to occupy the country’s parliament and “remove from power” the current government.

In a statement on Monday, SBU claimed the group identifying as “public activists” was preparing a series of provocations in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, on June 30.

The security agency alleged that “the group was headed by the co-founder of a public organisation known for its anti-Ukrainian actions since 2015”.

SBU added that suspected coup plotters “hoped to shake up the social and political situation within our country, which would work in favour of the Russian Federation”.

“Under the guise of holding a so-called ‘party’, the attackers planned to announce the ‘removal from power’ of the current military and political leadership of Ukraine,” the statement reads.

“Then they hoped to seize the building of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and block its work.

“In order to gather people, the organisers had to arrange a supposedly peaceful meeting in the centre of the capital. But most of the event participants wanted to use the ‘dark’ without revealing to them the true intentions regarding the provocations.

“The perpetrators planned to spread information about the ‘disturbances’ in Kyiv through domestic and foreign information resources.”

SBU said a stash of ammunition, including assault rifles, sniper rifles, handguns, laptops, mobile phones, and “draft records with evidence of criminal activities,” was also found in the raids.

In May, Ukraine claimed it foiled an allegedly Russia-backed attempt to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky and other high-ranking officials.

Two Ukrainian government protection unit colonels were arrested over the crime.