Security Service of Ukraine (SBU)

Ukraine's primary security and intelligence agency, responsible for counterintelligence, counterterrorism, and special operations. - Officially denied involvement in Alekseyev shooting; accused by FSB of orchestrating attack

Since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a campaign of assassinations has targeted its military elite in Moscow. On February 6, 2026, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev—first deputy head of Russian military intelligence (GRU), accused of masterminding the 2018 Salisbury nerve agent attack—was shot three times in his apartment building by an attacker posing as a delivery person. He underwent emergency surgery, regained consciousness on February 7, and stabilized under intensive care. Russia's FSB detained three suspects: Lyubomir Korba, a 65-year-old Russian citizen extradited from Dubai whom the FSB claims confessed to SBU recruitment; Viktor Vasin, detained in Moscow; and Zinaida Serebritskaya, who fled to Ukraine. Kyiv has officially denied involvement.

Updated Feb 13

Ukraine's primary domestic intelligence and counterintelligence service, transformed into an offensive asymmetric warfare unit. - Leading Ukraine's deep-strike operations

At dawn on June 1, 2025, Ukraine's Security Service pulled off the largest covert drone strike in history. One hundred seventeen drones, smuggled into Russia inside fake shipping containers and hidden in truck cabs, launched from five locations spanning five time zones. They hit five Russian air bases simultaneously, destroying or damaging 41 strategic bombers—including irreplaceable Soviet-era Tu-95s and Tu-22M3s—worth $7 billion. The unwitting truck drivers thought they were hauling prefab houses. One died in the explosions. Four were arrested by the FSB.

Updated Jan 11

Ukraine's domestic intelligence agency transformed into an offensive weapon targeting Russian generals deep inside Moscow. - Conducting assassination operations against Russian military leadership

On December 28, President Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy projected cautious optimism at Mar-a-Lago, announcing 90% agreement on a revised 20-point peace framework—but the next day Russia claimed Ukraine attacked Putin's residence with drones, a charge Kyiv denies as fabricated to sabotage talks. The alleged attack crystallizes the fragility of negotiations: even as diplomats inch toward compromise, the shadow war continues and Moscow weaponizes accusations to "toughen" its bargaining position. Nearly four years after invasion, the question isn't whether a deal is close—it's whether either side can stop fighting long enough to sign one.

Updated Dec 31, 2025