Russians were preparing an assassination attempt on Yermak's brother. The head of the SBU revealed the details

The Security Service of Ukraine has prevented an assassination attempt on a soldier of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Denys Yermak, who is the brother of the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak. This was announced by the head of the SBU, Vasyl Malyuk, at a meeting with journalists, a LIGA.net correspondent reports.

According to him, Yermak is currently serving as a sniper in the Foreign Legion of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In addition, he works on drones while on the front line.

"The liquidation option was as follows: he is on the front line (at that time in Zaporizhia), as soon as he returns from the combat order – to work on it with an explosive device. The executor is a Kharkiv resident, a brazen, young, competent engineer, that is, someone who can professionally manufacture an explosive device," the head of the SBU explained.

According to the head of the SBU, the man arrived in Kyiv and rented an apartment in the capital. While he was buying all the necessary components, the security service managed to install video and audio surveillance in the apartment.

"So we completely controlled the course of events. In addition, we managed to technically penetrate his phone, where we recorded many conversations, where the curators directly controlled the entire process in detail," he said.

The head of the SBU emphasized that for four nights the perpetrator was only involved in explosives. During the day he slept off, and at night he started tinkering with everything.

"The total weight he "wound up" was 2.5 kg. Plus the impressive elements, he made the detonator himself," he added.

Malyuk also said that a 14-year-old teenager was monitoring Denys Yermak. He "worked" in the yard, near his place of residence. However, Yermak was in Zaporizhia at the time, but his wife and children were at home. The SBU "took them away from the address," he specified.

"They planned to do it mega brazenly. For your understanding: 800 grams is enough to blow up a large jeep and it will be trash. For a regular car – 400 grams. And 2.5 kg – there are no walls or partitions, nothing if you detonate an explosive device in the entrance," the head of the special service explained.

He emphasized that the occupiers wanted to use the perpetrator "in the dark." The man bought two phones, one of which was attached to the explosives. The Russians had auditory control – if they heard that the agent had approached the target and opened the door for him, they would immediately organize an explosion. Neither the one who brought it nor the one behind the door would be alive.

Malyuk noted that the occupiers wanted to carry out the terrorist attack by 3:00 p.m. on May 15. That day there was a meeting in Istanbul, so the occupiers wanted to implement their plan before it began. It is clear that this could have affected the negotiation process, since Andriy Yermak was part of this group.

• On May 1, 2025, Sternenko reported that he had been attacked. The SBU later confirmed that special services officers had prevented the activist's murder and detained the attacker.
• Malyuk explained why the occupiers chose Sternenko as the target of the assassination attempt.