According to Ukrainian officials, Kyiv allegedly received alerts to an assassination plot against President Zelensky. The report came from Russia’s premier security agency FSB, of all places, news outlets claim.
Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine’s Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, states that an elite unit of the paramilitary unit of Chechen, Kadyrovtsy, is behind the alleged plans. ‘Plans’ being the operative word for three separate occasions that took place over the weekend.
Assassination Unit ‘Destroyed’
During a televised broadcast on Ukrainian TV channels, Mr. Danilov claimed the suspected plotters have been killed. The alleged perpetrators of the Kremlin group were divided into two groups:
- One they tracked down in Hostomel and destroyed, and
- The second group is under threat of being located.
The secretary went on to say that “we have received information from the FSB, who today do not want to take part in the bloody war,” and “…are aware of the special operation that was to take place.”
He continued by saying that, due to such foresight, “…the Kadyrov elite group was destroyed.”
Today, media reports claim a Chechen leader confirmed two servicemen died and six others sustained injuries. An official response to the Zelensky assassination attempts from the Kadyrovites, or their elimination, has neither been made by the Chechens or the Kremlin.
Further reports claim Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, sent paramilitary forces. Similarly, it’s suggested that Kadyrov is an ally of the Russian president.
Putin Fears Assassination
Ukrainian newspaper, Ukrayinska Pravda, writes how Putin instructed Chechen leader, Kadyrov to carry out an assassination plot against President Zelensky last month. They go on to claim that it was an attempt to physically liquidate Ukrainian leaders.
On a different note, reports have recently started to paint a picture of a fearful Putin, distancing himself to stay safe. Yet, this piece of news has not been independently verified.
In addition, there is an increase in Russian citizens protesting the war and demanding Putin’s resignation. Now, this may be within the President’s ability to control. However, nothing is more uncontrollable than an angry population. And the growing economic sactions are heavily affecting the way of life of the Russian people.
Some claim, such as President Joe Biden points out, that President Putin has “badly miscalculated” the severity with which Ukraine and the rest of the world would respond to the invasion. Not to mention, the response from the Russian nation.
For starters, isolating the country from the rest of the world is an act not merely irritating. It is fraught with dangerous consequences.
What’s to Come?
Over one million Ukrainians have fled the country in what is quickly becoming “Europe’s largest refugee crisis this century,” the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees states.
President Zelensky himself hasn’t been in contact with his loved ones for days. In fact, the leader has survived three assassinations in the past week alone.
Some security experts believe that political destruction of Ukraine is only possible through the removal of its head of state. As such, both Zelensky and other Ukranian officials are trying to protect themselves from impending threats.
Lastly, as Russian forces continue their advance in key Ukrainian regions, they are facing stiff resistance from the Ukraine’s military and civilian defenders.
