In Kyiv, there was a plot to assassinate the first deputy head of the Ministry of Health.

The Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police have prevented the assassination of the First Deputy Minister of Health, 46-year-old Serhiy Dubrov. This was reported by the SBU on Monday, January 20.

SBU employees apprehended two accomplices while they were attempting to purchase a gun for the assassination of the official.

The perpetrators turned out to be two residents of the Kyiv region – a 36-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman. According to investigators, they had been monitoring the First Deputy Minister for several months, studying his daily routine and travel routes. To carry out the assassination of Dubrov with a pistol, they spent a considerable amount of time at a private shooting range practicing their shooting skills.

«Eventually, the criminals began searching for a weapon seller on the black market, but they were apprehended by SBU and National Police officers at the moment of handing over the money for the gun», – the statement reads.

The suspects have already been informed of their suspicion for premeditated murder, which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.

Updated at 10:49. The Kyiv city prosecutor's office reported that the suspects intended to take revenge for the death of a friend. It is known that in October 2024, a woman died from injuries sustained in a car accident at one of the capital's hospitals. At that time, Dubrov was on duty at the medical facility.

«Despite the serious injuries from the accident, the woman's friends believed that the doctor was to blame for her death, which is why they decided to kill him», – the report states.

Prosecutors also noted that weapons, ammunition, an object resembling a grenade, and psychotropic substances were seized from the suspects' home.

What is known about Serhiy Dubrov

Serhiy Dubrov is an anesthesiologist and the president of the Association of Anesthesiologists of Ukraine. He has authored 198 scientific works, including 7 textbooks, educational manuals, and monographs, as well as 12 patent declarations in Ukraine for inventions.

The Cabinet of Ministers appointed Dubrov as the First Deputy Minister of Health in March 2023. Prior to that, he was the head of the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care at the O.O. Bogomolets National Medical University.

Recall that on January 18, it became known that police arrested four criminals who attempted to kill a resident of the Rivne region on behalf of a local businessman. About