Ihor Oboliensky, commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Army, seemed to escape the assassination attempt because the suspect’s gun jammed at the moment of firing.
“There was an assassination attempt on Ihor today, the attacker and accomplices were arrested,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 31, mentioning Colonel Ihor Oboliensky, commander of the 2nd Army. “Khartiia” belongs to the National Guard of Ukraine.
Oboliensky said that this is evidence that the forces under his command are operating effectively on the battlefield. “This plot shows that the enemy is afraid and our retaliation will make them even more afraid,” the Ukrainian colonel declared.
The suspect was arrested in Kharkov on July 31. Video: Ukrainska Pravda
Ukrainska Pravda newspaper quoted Ukrainian law enforcement sources as saying the suspect was a 69-year-old man who was arrested near a barber shop in Kharkov.
Ukrainian officials said that Russian agents pretended to be officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) when recruiting the suspect. They convinced this person that the commander of the 2nd Army Corps was a “traitor”, by sending an AI-generated photo showing Oboliensky standing next to the Kremlin and wearing a shirt with the Russian symbol.
The suspect approached Oboliensky from behind, but the Makarov pistol seemed to have malfunctioned at the moment of shooting, allowing him to narrowly escape death. Authorities confiscated weapons and ammunition when arresting the suspect. This person claimed to have received the gun from an unknown person in Kharkov, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
The gun that authorities confiscated from the suspect on July 31. Photo: SBU
Law enforcement officers are determining the identity of the weapons supplier, searching for accomplices and assessing whether Colonel Oboliensky’s travel schedule was leaked.
Russian officials have not commented on the information.
Ihor Oboliensky served in the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces in the early days of the conflict, then accepted an invitation to join the application Khartiia volunteer unit was established in Kharkov.
In early 2023, Khartiia was reorganized as the 13th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. Oboliensky became brigadier general and reformed the unit command system according to NATO standards.
Ihor Oboliensky during a meeting with President Zelensky in Kiev on July 20. Photo:X/ZelenskyyUa
In 2025, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army decided to establish a corps based on the Khartiia Brigade, named it the 2nd Army and appointed Colonel Oboliensky as the unit commander. On July 15, President Zelensky awarded him the title of Hero of Ukraine.
The 2nd Army Corps earlier this year was praised by the Kyiv Independent newspaper as one of the 3 most successful units among the 18 newly established army corps. A few months later, forces from the 2nd Army Corps participated in building a network of anti-tank trenches, strongpoints and obstacles along the 135 km long front line on the Kharkov front, to cope with the risk of Russia launching an attack campaign deep into this province.
Russian intelligence is said to have repeatedly recruited Ukrainian citizens to assassinate high-ranking officers of this country. The SBU announced in March that it had arrested a Ukrainian drone pilot recruited to assassinate Andrii Biletsky, commander of the 3rd Army Corps.