Ukrainian activist and volunteer Serhii Sternenko, who has played a significant role in supplying FPV drones to the Ukrainian military, has been wounded in an assassination attempt.
Since 2022, Russia has orchestrated a sustained campaign of assassination attempts targeting high-profile leaders, defense industry figures, and volunteers both inside Ukraine and across Europe, who have helped Kyiv defend against Moscow’s military aggression.
Later, on 1 May, Sternenko informed that his condition was stable and that he was lucky he had survived. He also confirmed that the assailant, a woman, was detained by Ukrainian law enforcement.
“Thanks to the Security Service of Ukraine for their lightning-fast reaction. If not for them, I wouldn’t be able to write this,” he wrote on social media.
Sternenko also reported that he underwent surgery.
“I’ve had surgery. The bullet went through. It didn’t hit anything vital,” he detailed.
The law enforcement has detained the attacker on the spot.
“The Security Service officers thwarted the attempted murder of well-known civic activist Serhii Sternenko. The assailant used a firearm. Thanks to our swift actions, she was apprehended immediately. There is no current threat to Sternenko’s life,” the agency has revealed.
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.
