KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian activist and volunteer Serhii Sternenko, a prominent figure in advocating of FPV drones to the Ukrainian military, survived an assassination attempt on May 1, 2025. The attack, allegedly orchestrated by Russian military intelligence, involved a female assailant who shot Sternenko outside his Kyiv residence. Fortunately, the bullet did not hit any vital organs, and his life is not in danger.
According to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), the attacker, a woman born in 1979 in Odesa Oblast and residing in Kyiv, had rented an apartment in the same residential complex as Sternenko. She conducted surveillance on him for weeks before the attack. On the day of the incident, as Sternenko exited his building accompanied by two men, the assailant opened fire. One of his companions managed to subdue her immediately, preventing further harm.
Sternenko underwent surgery and later confirmed on Telegram that the bullet passed through without causing critical damage. He expressed gratitude to the SBU for their swift response, stating, “If not for them, I wouldn’t be able to write anything anymore. They quite literally saved my life.”
This marks the fourth assassination attempt on Sternenko since 2014. Notably, the attack occurred exactly seven years after a previous attempt on his life. In 2018, he was assaulted by two men, resulting in the death of one attacker. Sternenko maintained it was self-defense, and in December 2023, an Odesa court closed the case against him.
Sternenko has been a vocal critic of Russian aggression and a key figure in Ukraine’s civil society. Through his crowdfunding efforts, he has supplied over 176,000 FPV drones to the Ukrainian military. His activism and support for Ukraine’s defense have made him a target for Russian hybrid warfare tactics.
Ukrainian authorities continue to investigate the incident, emphasizing the ongoing threat posed by Russian intelligence operations targeting Ukrainian activists and volunteers.
