The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Inspectorate of the General of Police of the Republic of Moldova have reportedly stopped an assassination attempt that offered up to $100,000 in rewards.
In a statement on February 20, the SBU said the rewards were reportedly offered for carrying out contract killings of prominent Ukrainians under Russia’s orders.
“To eliminate potential victims, the suspects developed various assassination attempts: from shootings at close range to blowing up cars. Russian special forces promised rewards of up to $100,000 for the murders, depending on the person’s status,” read the statement.
The operation dubbed “Enigma 2.0” was carried out on the territories of both countries.
According to the security service, the plot targeted Ukrainian journalists, public figures, the head of a strategic enterprise, and the military of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense.
SBU and Moldova Foil Russian-Backed Assassination Plot in “Enigma 2.0” Operation
As a result, a 34-year-old recidivist from Moldova, his two agents, and their accomplices from Ukraine, the EU, and unrecognized Transnistria were detained.
SBU found out that the main suspect was allegedly recruited by Russian intelligence officers while serving his sentence in a Russian prison.
Further, the Security Service of Ukraine stated that the Russian agents were smuggled into Ukraine under the pretense of being tourists, and then dispersed to rented homes in various regions of our country.
During the searches, firearms, ammunition, combat grenades, and communication equipment were seized from the detainees.
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Prominent People Who Have Died During the Russia-Ukraine War
Here are prominent people who have been killed so far:
On December 22, 2025, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov was killed by a bomb that exploded under his Kia Sorento in southern Moscow.
Sarvarov was the head of the Russian General Staff’s army operational training directorate, and Russian investigators suspect the involvement of Ukrainian special services.
Earlier, on April 25, 2025, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, 59, was killed by a car bomb near Moscow.
Moskalik served as the deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff.
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On December 17, 2024, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops, was killed outside a Moscow apartment building.
Additionally, on November 13, 2024, a bomb planted under a car killed Russian serviceman Valery Trankovsky in Sevastopol, Crimea. Trankovsky, a Russian naval captain, had been accused by Kyiv of war crimes for ordering missile strikes on civilian targets.
On October 4, 2024, Andrei Korotkiy, an employee at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, was killed in a car bomb attack.
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