ALBAWABA - Ukraine has foiled an alleged coup attempt that "would have played into Russia's hands," security authorities in the war-torn country claimed Monday.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a Telegram message that the suspected coup organizers intended to cause a riot in Kyiv on June 30 as a distraction in order to grab control of the Ukrainian parliament and overthrow the military and political leadership.
It is unknown whether the accused had any ties to Russia, which has been waging a devastating full-scale assault against its southern neighbor for over two and a half years.
The SBU stated four suspects had been identified, two of whom were in custody. They might face up to ten years in jail if proven guilty. The SBU stated that it recovered firearms and ammunition, as well as telephones, laptops, and other materials "with evidence of criminal action".
"To implement the criminal plan, the main organizer involved several accomplices—representatives of the community organizations from Kyiv, Dnipro, and other regions," according to the SBU.
According to Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office, the suspected coup leader rented a 2,000-person auditorium and hired military soldiers and private-sector armed guards to "carry out the seizure" of Parliament. It's unclear whether prosecutors are looking for any further suspects.
"I am grateful to all partners who are helping. And the decisions we need must be accelerated. Any delay in decisions in this war means losing human lives," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
