Provocateurs detained in Kyiv plot to overthrow Ukrainian leadership

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained a group of provocateurs who planned to incite riots in Kyiv and seize the Ukrainian parliament building following Constitution Day on June 28. The group intended to announce the "removal from power" of Ukraine's current military and political leadership.

On June 28, controlled riots were supposed to take place in Kyiv. The organizers originally wanted to announce the organization of a peaceful assembly to gather as many people as possible in central Kyiv.

Investigation materials indicate that the group was led by a co-founder of a non-governmental organization known since 2015 for its anti-Ukrainian activities. Under the pretext of organizing an assembly, the criminals planned to announce the "removal from power" of the current military and political leadership of Ukraine, according to the Security Service.

They then hoped to take over the building of the Verkhovna Rada and disrupt its activities.

The SBU reports that most participants in the event were unaware of the true intentions behind the assembly. The criminals planned to spread information about the riots in Kyiv through domestic and foreign media. They hoped this would destabilize our country's social and political situation to benefit the Russian Federation, the services say.

The main organizer of the provocation recruited several accomplices from Kyiv, Dnipro, and other Ukrainian towns. They communicated via messengers and met in three-person groups.

During searches of the provocateurs' homes, law enforcement officers found weapons and ammunition; cell phones, computer equipment, and draft records containing evidence of criminal activities, according to the SBU.

Those detained were charged with calling for actions aimed at introducing violence, overthrowing the constitutional order, or seizing state power and were decided to be temporarily detained. They face up to 10 years in prison and confiscation of property.