Ukrainian Activist Sternenko Survives Assassination Attempt, Blames Russian Agents

Serhiy Sternenko, a well-known Ukrainian activist, lawyer and humanitarian volunteer from Odesa, has been injured in an attack, less than two months after a similar attack on another well-known Odesa activist, Demyan Hanul.

Sternenko, a controversial public figure and millionaire blogger, is one of Ukraine’s most visible volunteers. In 2021, Sternenko was sentenced to seven years in prison for abducting Lyman village council deputy Serhiy Scherbych, but the sentence was later partially overturned.

Previous to today’s attack Sternenko had been the target of three attempts on his life at the hands of pro-Russian groups and their sympathizers. In one of the incidents, an assailant was killed in self-defense.

“I was attacked. Wounded. Everything is OK, there’s no threat to my life. Russians are f**kers,” Sternenko wrote on his Telegram channel on Thursday.

It remains unclear where the attack occurred – either in Kyiv or Odesa.

Sternenko also asked not to be contacted, citing ongoing investigative actions.

Meanwhile, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced that the attacker has been detained. According to the SBU, the assailant was a woman and she attempted to kill Sternenko with a firearm.

“The Security Service of Ukraine prevented the murder of well-known public activist and volunteer Serhiy Sternenko. Today, an attempt was made on his life using a firearm. Thanks to the swift and professional actions of SBU officers, the attacker was detained on the spot. Serhiy Sternenko’s life is currently not in danger,” the SBU stated.

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Sternenko has publicly claimed on Telegram that he believes Russian intelligence services were involved in the assassination attempt.

Notably, another well-known activist and volunteer from Odesa, Demyan Hanul, was killed in a similar street attack involving a firearm just six weeks ago.

A recent two-part Kyiv Post in-depth analysis investigated why Odesa is becoming the next major target for Russian destabilization efforts. According to the report, Russian forces may exploit pro-Russian elements, recruited agents, and the passivity of local authorities to undermine the city’s security.