Russia calls for 'elimination' of Ukraine president Zelenskyy after failed assassination attempt of Vladimir Putin

A senior Russian politician has called for the 'elimination' of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after Russia claimed that Ukraine had tried to assassinate Vladimir Putin.

Russia has claimed that it shot down two Ukrainian drones over the Kremlin, which they say they believe were meant to be trying to kill Putin, though he wasn't in the building at the time.

Nobody was injured in the alleged assassination attempt and Ukraine has denied any involvement in the attack, with Zelenskyy saying they 'don't attack Putin or Moscow' and instead 'fight on our territory'.

Now Russian politician, Dmitry Medvedev, has called for the 'elimination' of Zelenskyy, claiming that Russia had been left with no other option but to eliminate the president of Ukraine and his 'clique'.

Medvedev was president of Russia between 2008 and 2012, he's the guy Putin used to get around Russia's term limits on the presidency.

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It's hard to see how this represents much of a shift in Russian policy towards Zelenskyy, considering that right from the beginning of their invasion of Ukraine, there have been hit squads tasked with assassinating the Ukrainian president.

Mercenaries tasked with assassinating Zelenskyy have been operating since the beginning of Russia's invasion.

Zelenskyy has previously described himself as 'the enemy's number one target', and armed assassins attempting to kill him have had to be fought off by Ukrainian forces.

Ukraine does have plans in place for a continuation of their government if Zelenskyy is assassinated, as he has had to live with the prospect that he is a target for being killed by Russian troops.

The Ukrainian president has previously cast doubt on the idea that Putin is still alive, while Ukrainian officials have claimed that Putin has had body doubles surgically altered to look more like him.

Meanwhile, back in Russia, they have an incredibly weird obsession with the Ukrainian president, having fined a man 30,000 rubles for saying he had a dream about Zelenskyy.

Victor Pinchuk Foundation

As for the invasion itself, that's not ending any time soon, as the Russian invasion launched over a year ago has failed to sweep across Ukraine, or swiftly topple Zelenskyy's government.

Instead, tens of thousands of soldiers have died and millions of people have been forced to flee their homes to get away from invading Russian troops.

According to the UK's Ministry of Defence, Russian tactics have shifted recently towards more mine-based warfare against the civilian population of Ukraine.

Putin's troops have been laying mines in areas they previously occupied so that they will kill Ukrainians who return to the area.

Once the war is over, Ukraine has secured an agreement to join NATO, with all member nations agreeing to admit them once the conflict with Russia is at an end.