Plot to Poison Putin

There've been a number of stories in the media of late discussing what's claimed to be a plot to poison Vladimir Putin. According to one of the articles, the plot was discovered by Ukrainian intelligence.

However the plot was discovered, and by whomever, I can't imagine that if there were such a plot it would be leaked to the world. Why would the Ukrainians want to alert Putin to an attempt on his life by publicizing the plot if it were indeed genuine?

In any case, here are some excerpts from the article:

The Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has said that "a group of influential" Kremlin insiders have been plotting to oust Putin. The goal of the "Russian elite" is to supposedly remove the president from power as soon as possible before restoring economic ties with the West.

According to the brief, the Ukrainian intelligence service also claims that a successor to Putin has already been lined up in the shape of FSB director Oleksandr Bortnikov, reports The Mirror. Powerful insiders are allegedly dismayed at the ramifications of the war and the sanctions imposed on the Russian economy.

The Chief Directorate of Intelligence said: "It is known that Bortnikov and some other influential representatives of the Russian elite are considering various options to remove Putin from power. "In particular, poisoning, sudden disease, or any other 'coincidence' is not excluded."

There's more at the link, including links to other sources. As I indicated above, I'm skeptical about this report which appears to be tabloid sensationalism, but it could nevertheless have the effect of stoking a lot of suspicion and paranoia among Putin's inner circle.

It has been reported previously that Putin already uses food tasters to make sure his food isn't tainted, so suspicion of his colleagues is apparently already well-advanced.

But whether the plot is genuine or not, I have a question for my pacifist friends who believe that killing someone is always wrong. If the story were true, and the plot succeeds, would the plotters have been wrong to murder Mr. Putin?

In other words, is it wrong to murder in order to save the lives of innocent people? If the reader of this post is a pacifist or knows someone who is, this question might lead to an interesting ethical conversation.