Ukraine’s Security Service Exposes ‘Activists’ Who Plotted Seizure of Verkhovna Rada
Source: SBU
In a statement released on Monday, the SBU, Ukraine’s security service, announced it has detained a group of people who planned ‘provocations’ in Kyiv, aiming to ‘seize’ the parliament building. Led by a ‘co-founder’ of a “civil group” known for its anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, the group was plotting a ‘people’s convention’ where they intended to announce the ‘removal’ of Ukraine’s ‘political and military leaders’. They planned to break into the Ukrainian parliament to disrupt its work.
Calling it a ‘peaceful gathering’, the rally organizers aimed to draw in people, most of whom were allegedly clueless about the real intentions behind it. The plotters recruited people in Kyiv, Dnipro, and other cities via online messengers, forming separate groups of three.
During raids on the conspirators’ apartments, the SBU seized arms, ammunition, mobile phones, and computers. Those arrested during the raids now face treason charges under Article 109 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, which can result in imprisonment for up to 10 years.
In my previous column, I wrote about social innovations in Ukraine. Those innovations are part of civic resilience and the democratization of security, which Europe is paying close attention to right now. The EU is trying to work out how to spread responsibility for its own security across society as a whole, rather than leaving it to institutions alone. It is looking for concrete ways to bring ordinary people into the work of defense and resistance.
Petro Poroshenko’s lawyers have appealed to the High Anti-Corruption Court demanding that NABU be obligated to register proceedings regarding the fact of exerting influence on the court and to recognize Petro Poroshenko as a victim in the case of the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, due to her pressure on Supreme Court judges who were considering a lawsuit to overturn sanctions.
Internationally recognized brands and financial institutions should direct capital to Ukraine now, not waiting for the hostilities to end. This was emphasized by Rinat Akhmetov, president of FC Shakhtar, during a working visit to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, where he met with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.
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In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.