An assassination attempt on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top military and political figures by the Russian government has been foiled, the country’s security services announced on Tuesday.

“The SBU exposed a network of agents of the 5th service of the FSB of the Russian Federation who were preparing the assassination of the President of Ukraine: two UDO colonels were detained,” Ukrainian intelligence agency SBU said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the New York Times, the assassination plot was spearheaded by many Russian agents, including two colonels and several networks run by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB., the main successor agency to the KGB, citing the SBU.

Under the direction of the Russian government, the agents were reportedly tasked with identifying people close to Mr Zelensky’s security detail who could be bribed to assassinate the Ukrainian leader, the Times reported.

The country’s intelligence agency said in the statement that other top Ukrainian officials targeted in the operation included Vasyl Malyuk, the head of the SBU, and Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency.

SBU head Vasyl Malyuk said the attack was supposed to be “a gift to Putin before the inauguration.” 

Vladimir Putin was sworn in as Russia’s president on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, it is not the first time there has been a reported attempt on Mr Zelensky. 

He said in an interview with an Italian television channel earlier this year that he was told by his security services that more than 10 such attempts had been made on his life.