Russian assassins continue to target Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Fox News reports that the Ukrainian defense ministry has indicated that another group of Russian mercenaries has just arrived in Ukraine with the goal of assassinating Zelensky and other key, high-ranking Ukrainian politicians.
The latest
The warning was provided by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in a Facebook post on Sunday.
“Another group of militants linked to Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a Russian propagandist close to Putin and owner of the Liga (Wagner), began arriving in Ukraine today,” the post read. “The main task of criminals is to eliminate the top military and political leadership of Ukraine.”
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine went on to list the mercenaries’ “key targets.” They include Zelensky, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Ukrainian film producer Andriy Ermak, and lawyers who are serving as Zelensky’s advisers.
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine claimed that “Putin personally ordered another attack by one of the few proxies.”
Background
The Russian mercenaries are said to come from Liga, a private military company. Previously, the company was known as PMC Wagner, which is why the mercenaries are sometimes referred to as Wagner mercenaries.
The group was founded by Dmitry Utkiny, a Chechen war veteran who was formerly part of Russian intelligence.
Many believe that the Russian businessman Prigozhin financially backs the Wagner Group, although he has denied such claims.
If the name sounds familiar, Prigozhin is on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for allegedly meddling in U.S. elections. He has been sanctioned by the U.S. many times, including recently during the round of sanctions against Russian Oligarchs.
Early on in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there were reports that Russia was flying Wagner mercenaries into Ukraine from Africa for the purpose of assassinating Zelensky. Obviously, thus far, the mercenaries have failed.
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in its statement on Sunday, said, “The Kremlin’s plans are well known to the Ukrainian army, special services, and law enforcement agencies. We are ready to repel the aggressor both at the front and in the rear. No terrorist attack will succeed.”
