In the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, her defense team says it will present witnesses regarding an alleged assassination plot dubbed “Operation Romanov.” Defense lawyer Mark Vinluan told the Senate impeachment court that calling witnesses on the alleged operation is part of the defense’s “evidence in chief,” after Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo asked whether the defense planned to introduce such testimony. GMA News Online reports the defense also intends to present at least one witness who will testify about the purported plot against Duterte and her family. In related testimony and discussion during the proceedings, Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo and a witness addressed how the term “Romanov” is said to have first appeared. According to the account reported by Inquirer.net, the “original” “Romanov” plan was described as a threat against the President’s family, before later references tied it to Duterte and her kin. The defense’s plan to introduce witnesses is set against the backdrop of ongoing questioning of whether the prosecution’s witness had heard of “Operation Romanov,” including its purported naming after the Romanovs of Russia. The case continues as both sides present and challenge evidence.