Two elite Chechen death squads sent to assassinate Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky have been “neutralized” – thanks to information from Russian security forces sympathetic to Ukraine, according to a senior Ukrainian official.
Alexei Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, told Ukrainian television on Tuesday that Russian FSB sources had given Kyiv the intelligence it needed to track down the killers, according to a report in The New Voice of Ukraine.
“They were divided into two groups, we followed them,” Danilov said.
“One group was served near Hostomel [northwest of Kyiv]the other is in our field of vision. ”
“We will not give up our president, our country,” Danilov added. “This is our land, get out.”
According to US intelligence, Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24 in order to “decapitate” the pro-Western Ukrainian government and establish a Moscow-friendly regime.
Zelenski himself said he expected to be targeted at the start of hostilities last week, telling European leaders in a video message: “This may be the last time you see me alive.”
It is not immediately clear how many killers were killed or captured on Tuesday.
Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechen leader and Putin’s ally, confirmed the presence of Chechen fighters in Ukraine last week and called on Ukrainians to overthrow their government.
Chechens are not the only ones believed to be hunting Zelensky. Members of the Wagner group, a ruthless Russian mercenary who is alleged to have committed war crimes on behalf of the Kremlin in Syria and the Central African Republic, are believed to be operating in Ukraine with orders to assassinate the president.
With postal wires