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Why Zelenskyy dismissed his state guards chief
Summary
A look back at the 9 May 2024 removal of Serhiy Rud amid allegations of an assassination plot involving two guards.
What prompted the dismissal of the man in charge of protecting Ukraine's president? The question hung over Kyiv on 11 May 2024, two days after Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, fired Serhiy Rud, the head of the state guards.
The decision, taken on 9 May 2024, followed allegations that two members of the guards were involved in a plot to assassinate Zelenskyy. Rud's removal came as the allegations surfaced.
A recurring threat
According to Ukrainian government officials and news sources, Zelenskyy has survived dozens of assassination and kidnapping attempts by Russian or pro-Russian agents during the war. At least three of those were foiled by Ukrainian security services. That figure was reported later and reflects the wider pattern of plots against him.
The case of the two guards was different in one respect: the allegations concerned people from inside the body responsible for the president's protection, and the response was a change at the top of that service.
As of 11 May 2024, the dismissal stood as the most visible consequence of the allegations.
