Ukraine's state security service said it caught two agents for Russia plotting the assassination of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials as "a gift" for Russian President&nbsp;Vladimir Putin as he was sworn in for a new term in the Kremlin on Tuesday.

The two men were colonels in Ukraine's state guard service recruited by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) who leaked classified information to Moscow, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on the Telegram app.

They were tasked with finding someone close to the presidential guard who would take Zelenskyy hostage and later kill him, the SBU statement said, without making clear at what point the alleged plot had been foiled.

"The terrorist attack, which was supposed to be a gift to Putin for the inauguration, was indeed a failure of the Russian special services," SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk was quoted as saying by his agency on Telegram.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow.

The Kremlin declined to comment last month when asked about the arrest in Poland of a man 

accused of working with Russian intelligence

 to prepare a possible attempt to assassinate Zelenskyy.

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Two people covered from head to toe in baggy safety uniforms are shown near a large, cylindrical pointed weapon.

FILE In this photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, Russian troops load an Iskander missile onto a mobile launcher during drills at an undisclosed location in Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the military will hold drills involving tactical nuclear weapons – the first time such exercise was publicly announced by Moscow. 

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Russian troops load an Iskander missile onto a mobile launcher during drills at an undisclosed location in Russia in February. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the military will hold drills involving tactical nuclear weapons — the first time such an exercise has been publicly announced by Moscow. 

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Oleksandr Pielieshenko of Ukraine at the 2016 Rio Olympics. 

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The Ukrainian leader, who has led his country's effort to fend off Russia's more than two-year-old invasion, said last autumn that his security services had foiled at least five Russian plots to assassinate him.

The spy group also planned to "eliminate" Maliuk and Kyrylo Budanov, the military intelligence agency's head, the SBU said, noting&nbsp;Budanov's assassination was supposed to happen before Orthodox Easter Sunday on May 5.

The agents sought to inform the Russian side of the whereabouts of Budanov, the SBU said, so they could carry out missile and drone attacks at the location.

One of the arrested men was involved in transporting and storing drones and explosives for the operation, it said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seen speaking during a visit to Lithuania last month. Ukraine's security service said it caught two agents for Russia allegedly plotting to assassinate Zelenskyy and other top officials as a gift for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine says it foiled alleged Russian plot to kill Zelenskyy and intelligence officials as gift for Putin

Alleged attack was 'gift' for Putin

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