The kid explained why Sternenko was the target of the assassination attempt

Activist and blogger Serhiy Sternenko is a leader among volunteers who provide drones to the Defense Forces, which is why Russia's special services wanted to kill him. This was announced at a meeting with journalists by the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Malyuk, according to a correspondent of LIGA.net.

"As of today, Sergiy has delivered almost 200,000 FPV drones to the frontline for more than 600 units. Sternenko is a leader among volunteers who assemble and deliver drones to our military," Malyuk said, explaining the reasons for the assassination attempt.

The SBU Head also recalled the events of early May 2014 in Odesa.

"Serhiy was one of those who prevented the enemy from creating a 'Bessarabian People's Republic' in Odesa in 2014 <…> That's why they wanted to take revenge on him that day. And this is not the first attempt on Serhii's life, it was the fourth," the head of the special service emphasized.

Malyuk added that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the SBU's task has been to beat the Russians at the stage of initial study and preparation of the assassination attempt. The situation here was complicated.

"I realized that the attempt itself could happen soon, based on the analysis of materials and a set of operational and technical measures. But at that time, we had not yet seen the 'perpetrator' himself. I invited Serhiy to my office, we discussed the elements of his physical security, and provided him with professional security," he said .

The head of the special service said that on the day of the assassination attempt, Sternenko's assistant was the first to leave the entrance, followed by the activist himself, and the third was an employee of the SBU's Special Operations Center "A". At that moment, a woman shoots the volunteer with both hands.

"Our officer was the third to come out, he acted professionally, shortened the distance, knocked out the gun, and immobilized it. By the way, when he was already sitting on her, he received a call from our head of the counterintelligence department, who was in charge of the case, saying: "We've figured out that a certain lady has rented an apartment nearby, and she's going to make an attempt." He said: "I'm already sitting on her. Everything is in order," Malyuk revealed the details.

He added that it was the systematic work of the SBU that prevented Sternenko's murder.

• On May 1, 2025, Sternenko reported that he had been attacked. Later, the SBU confirmed that officers of the special service had prevented the activist's murder and detained the attacker.
• On May 2, the SBU served the woman with a suspicion on two articles: high treason and attempted murder. According to law enforcement, in late 2024, the suspect was remotely recruited by Russian special services when she was looking for "quick money" on the Internet.