Malyuk revealed how and why Gordon was hunted by Dagestanis and a former MP

The Russians tried to kill interviewer and blogger Dmitry Gordon because he has an audience in the Russian Federation and the occupied territories. To do this, they used two spy networks – a group of a former regional MP and a gang from Dagestan, which were unsuccessful, said the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Malyuk during a meeting with journalists, a LIGA.net correspondent reports.

"Gordon triggers [annoys] the Russians. He has a large category of viewers who are both in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories," the head of the special service explained.

According to him, two Russian spy networks were working against the figure: the first was headed by a former regional MP, who has already been detained (according to the interlocutor of LIGA.net, this is former regional MP Vitaliy Hrushevsky).

Malyuk noted that the former politician was instructed by the Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation, he carried out visual surveillance, and also "pushed" several assistants.

"Among them, by the way, were journalists, but they were not fully in contact with the FSB, although they performed certain tasks. And later they made a deal, they even gave us detailed demonstrations," the head of the Security Service said.

He added that Russian agents planned to use an improvised explosive device or organize a missile strike if they "100 percent confirmed" Gordon's presence in the building.

"They did this for a long time. For surveillance, they used, among other things, technical means, video recorders in particular (a car with a video recorder was parked opposite the office). They watched when Dmytro arrived and left. They "trampled" near his house, and for us, as professionals, it was on the surface," Malyuk explained.

However, the head of the SSU noted that at that time the special service was already documenting the activities of these agents – the same former People's Deputy was preparing other sabotage and was in the field of view of law enforcement officers regarding the organization of the bombing of a railway track in the Poltava region.

The head of the special service noted that when the SSU began to comprehensively analyze this data, it realized that the Russian accomplices were at the stage of additional intelligence – that is, the last phase preceding the strike.

FSB promised $400,000 to Dagestan group for assassination attempt

"In parallel, there was another group, a Dagestan ethno-national thieves' community, which was used by the FSB. A corresponding legend was created for the leader of this group in Russia. He is wanted there, supposedly in bad relations with the law enforcement system, with the FSB," Malyuk noted.

According to him, the leader of this group was sent to Ukraine "far before" the full-scale invasion: "He carried out FSB tasks the whole time, did it very professionally, very covertly."

He entered into a relationship with the daughter of a former top official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to expand his capabilities, and also received money from Russia to organize a taxi service to cover and monitor objects, equipping all cars with video recorders, the head of the SSU said.

"He developed Gordon's movement routes, places of stay and residence, methods and tools for possible elimination. He was looking for a motorcycle for one of the elimination options. If Dmytro was alone, they planned to kill him with a short pistol, if with a bodyguard, then with a long weapon, that is, an automatic rifle, and then finish him off with a pistol," the head of the department added.

However, he emphasized, this group was also detained – it is testifying, and the leader of the group admitted that he collaborated with the Russian special services and was preparing an assassination attempt on Gordon.

According to Malyuk, the FSB promised the group a $400,000 reward for killing the presenter.

ADDED. "The same Dagestan wing was also "hunting" for Ilya Bogdanov, who is now serving in the Russian Volunteer Corps in the Main Intelligence Directorate. He is a former FSB officer who chose Ukraine, was recognized by Putin as an aggressor, and now lives and fights in Ukraine," the head of the Ukrainian intelligence service said at the same meeting with journalists. Bohdanov sided with Ukraine in the summer of 2014, and in two years the SSU managed to prevent the occupiers from abducting the man.

The head of the Security Service also said: back in 2023, dictator Vladimir Putin signed an order to organize terrorist acts in Ukraine, like the Gordon assassination attempt, in order to create "subversive noise" in our country.

• Malyuk reported that in 2024, the SSU prevented attempts on President Zelenskyy, which were to take place in Kyiv on the territory of the President's Office and in Poland at the Rzeszów airport.
• The head of the special service explained that Russian special services wanted to kill activist Sternenko because he is a leader among volunteers who hand over drones to Ukrainian defenders.
• The head of the Security Service stated that the Russians wanted to kill the brother of the head of the OP Yermak, who serves in military intelligence.