The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has apprehended the female suspect, who is believed to have received money from Russian intelligence services, to kill Ukrainian activist and volunteer Serhii Sternenko, according to sources of Ukrainska Pravda.
On 1 May, Sternenko, who has played a significant role in supplying FPV drones to the Ukrainian military, was wounded in an assassination attempt. He was hospitalized and underwent surgery after the suspect shot him, but his condition is stable.
The suspect, born in 1979 and originally from the Odesa Oblast, has been registered and resided in Kyiv. She has rented an apartment in the same residential complex where Sternenko lives and has been monitoring him daily.
The SBU suggests the suspect has been preparing for a terrorist act in Kyiv, likely commissioned by Russian authorities. Sources have informed Ukrainska Pravda that after receiving funds from Russian intelligence, she has converted the money into cash through various ATMs and bank counters. On 15 April, she rented the apartment in Kyiv, and on 1 May, she attempted to assassinate Sternenko.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that all attack details will be made public.
“The head of the SBU reported on the investigation into the attack on activist Serhii Sternenko. The SBU detained the attacker promptly—thanks for that,” he added.
Russia views Serhii Sternenko as a significant adversary due to his high-profile activism, vocal criticism of Russian aggression, and his ongoing efforts to support Ukraine’s military. Anti-Russian activities are making him a likely target for the Kremlin’s hybrid warfare tactics against Ukraine’s civil society and resistance infrastructure.
Sternenko has survived three attacks since 2014. Interestingly, exactly seven years ago to this day, he survived a second assassination attempt. The most notable incident happened in 2018, when two men assaulted him. One attacker, Ivan Kuznetsov, died from stab wounds. Ukrainian prosecutors claimed Sternenko pursued and accused him of intentional murder. Sternenko maintained it was self-defense. In December 2023, an Odesa court closed the case against the volunteer.
