More than 400 Russian operatives have been deployed to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on a mission from the Kremlin to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russia wages war in the country, according to a report.
The assassins are part of the Wagner Group, a militia flown into Ukraine from Africa five weeks ago and offered “a handsome financial bonus” if they succeed, the Times of London reported Monday.
“They are very effective because they are hard to pin down,” Gen. Sir Richard Barrons, a former commander of the British Joint Forces Command, told the news outlet. “They can appear from the shadows, do very violent things, and then disappear again without it being obvious who was responsible. They are not directly linked to the Russian government, and therefore [Kremlin officials] are plausibly deniable.”
‘I AM AFRAID’: UKRAINIAN ENVOY READS ALOUD RUSSIAN SOLDIER’S FINAL TEXTS TO MOTHER BEFORE DEATH
In addition to Zelensky, the report claims that the assassins are also after Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Kyiv’s mayor and former boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, along with 21 other targets. The Ukrainian government was informed of the operation Saturday morning, prompting officials in Kyiv to enact a 36-hour curfew to search the city for Russian operatives, according to the report.
Klitschko announced Thursday, the day the invasion began, that he would join Kyiv’s residents and soldiers in defending Ukraine’s capital from Russian forces.
Zelenksy, who has become an international star for his defiant stand against Russia, has said Ukrainian “information” shows “the enemy marked me as target No. 1 — my family as target No. 2. They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state. We have information that enemy sabotage groups have entered Kyiv.” Despite the threat, Zelensky said he refuses to evacuate as some have urged. “The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride,” he reportedly said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that the Biden administration is working to “reduce the tension” caused by apparent nuclear threats made by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who placed Russia’s nuclear capabilities on high alert over the weekend. When the invasion began, Putin threatened Western nations with grave consequences should they intervene militarily.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The U.S. government announced Monday that it is expelling 12 Russian “intelligence operatives” from the Russian Mission to the United Nations over national security concerns. A spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations said the United States is “beginning the process” of expelling these individuals as part of a process that has “been in the works for several months.”
