Eva Deschamps / February 28, 2022
While the Russian army is still at the gates of Kiev, the British daily The Times claims that Russian mercenaries are operating with orders from the Kremlin to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian president has been appearing in video messages since the beginning of the conflict and has thus become Russia's main target.
According to the daily, the group of mercenaries sent by Russia is led by one of President Putin's closest allies. They arrived from Africa five weeks ago and their mission is to decapitate President Zelensky in exchange for a large financial reward.
The highly trained operatives are reportedly waiting for the green light from the Kremlin to pounce, their target list also including the Ukrainian Prime Minister, the entire cabinet, Kiev's mayor Vitali Klitschko and his brother Wladimir - both boxing champions turned frontline figures in the capital.
A private militia known as the Wagner Group reportedly received orders from Vladimir Putin to eliminate Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured) - and 23 other government figures - to allow Moscow to take over.
The Ukrainian government was informed of this mission on Saturday morning and a few hours later declared a 36-hour curfew in order to sweep the city for Russian saboteurs.