An elite fighting unit reportedly deployed to Ukraine to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been 'eliminated', according to the Ukrainian government.
Reports emerged yesterday, February 28, of more than 400 Russian mercenaries joining the invasion specifically with the goal of murdering Zelenskyy, sparking fears of saboteurs operating in Kyiv. They were said to be transported by The Wagner Group, a private militia run by one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies.
Oleksiy Danilov, the capital's Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, has now said the unit 'which came to kill our President, was eliminated' during a televised address.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic, reportedly sent the unit to kill Zelenskyy as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, despite peace talks being held on the Belorussian border and further negotiations set to continue tomorrow.
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'We are already aware of the special operation that was to be carried out by Kadyrov forces unit. We received the information from representatives of Russia’s Federal Security Service who do not want to take part in this bloody war. The Kadyrov forces unit, which came to kill our President, was eliminated,' Danilov said, as per the Mirror Online.
According to Danilov, the unit was tracked by Ukrainian operatives and divided into two groups, one of which came under fire in Hostomel, while the other is still being held at gunpoint. 'We will not give our president or our country to anyone. This is our land, get out of here,' he said.
This also comes after Chechen general Magomed Tushayev was reportedly killed by Ukrainian forces on Saturday, February 26. 'Magomed Tushayev, leader of the 141 motorized regiment of the Chechen National Guard, was killed,' the military tweeted.
Amid reports of thousands of Russian troops being killed, Kadyrov still backed Putin's invasion. 'The president [Putin] took the right decision, and we will carry out his orders under any circumstances,' he said, The Jerusalem Post reports.
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Zelenskyy, who's been praised by leaders around the world for his response to the Russian invasion, acknowledged 'the enemy' had marked him as 'target number one... and my family as target number two. They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state. I will stay in the capital. My family is also in Ukraine'.
The Ukrainian president slammed a Russian strike earlier today which not only caused an explosion on a Kyiv TV tower, but hit the site of a Holocaust memorial.
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Topics: Russia, Ukraine, World News
Cameron Frew