Group conspiring to murder activists and journalists detained in Odesa

The leaders of an Odesa group which calls itself "Templars" were detained on suspicion of creating illegal armed formations and conspiring to seize power, reports "Dumska", citing its own sources in the police.

According to the publication's source, Oleh Maltsev and his closest associate Kostyantyn Slobodyaniuk were detained on September 12. The court ruled to detain them without bail.

According to the investigation data cited by "Dumska", the men created a militant structure (an "operational combat unit") after the start of the full-scale war. The unit was supposed to arrange sabotage, murder activists, etc. if Russian troops come close to the city.

According to the Institute of Mass Information's own sources, their hit list included several local journalists. As reported by "Dumska", Maltsev himself expected to chair the occupation administration of Odesa or become a high-ranking official.

"The terrorist group included stormtroopers, snipers, scouts, and signalmen. They bought a lot of firearms and ammunition, which were seized by the police during searches," the newspaper writes, citing their sources in the law enforcement agencies.

In 2015, Oleh Maltsev publicly threatened the "Channel 7" and "Tretiy Tsifrovyi"  journalists who released an investigation mentioning him, announcing a "hunt" for them.

On September 3, 2024, the Security Service of Ukraine reported the arrest of four Russian FSB agents who were planning sabotage operations and the murder of Ukrainian media personality Dmytro Gordon.