Ukrainians are still trying to digest the shocking news of an averted military-style coup plot led by war hero and parliamentarian Nadiya Savchenko.
The story broke on March 8 when Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) apprehended Volodymyr Ruban as he was illegally crossing a checkpoint in a van loaded with heavy weapons. Ruban, a volunteer prisoner exchange negotiator known for his shady dealings with the separatists in eastern Ukraine, claimed he was just the driver moving furniture and had no knowledge of the weapons. He denied his involvement in the plot and said he was framed by the SBU. In early 2017, the SBU forbade him from traveling to Ukraine’s occupied territories because he had helped Savchenko, a former high-profile political prisoner held by the Russians, visit Ukrainian POWs in the Donbas without authorization.
