Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine (left), Vladimir Putin, President of Russia. / Photo by AP Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Yeeun] Russia's plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has failed.
On the 28th (local time), Ukrainian media outlet 'Ukraine Independent Information Agency (UNIAN)' reported that 25 members of an assassination squad led by the Russian Federal Protective Service were arrested by Ukrainian police near the Slovakia-Hungary border.
The media obtained information from a Kyiv source that the men ordered to kill President Zelenskyy were heading to Kyiv together with agents of the Russian Federal Security Service. It was also reported that the assassination squad was ordered to infiltrate the Ukrainian government and conduct sabotage operations after killing the president.
Meanwhile, since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, President Zelenskyy has consistently faced assassination threats. In fact, in early March, the US Malche Times reported that Zelenskyy experienced three assassination attempts in the last week of February alone.
In particular, Russian mercenaries belonging to the Wagner Group, a private military company (PMC) supported by the Kremlin, entered from Africa in February to assassinate President Zelenskyy but failed to complete the mission.
To this day, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense remains vigilant against Russian mercenaries affiliated with Wagner entering Ukraine.
The head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Intelligence stated on Facebook, "Russian mercenaries are targeting not only President Zelenskyy but also Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office and a former Ukrainian filmmaker."
US media outlet The Times also reported that the assassination squad received a list of 24 targets, including President Zelenskyy, the Chief of Staff, and the Prime Minister.
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