In what came as a surprising revelation, a UK-based newspaper, The Times, reported on Monday that 400 Russian mercenaries had allegedly been ordered by Putin to kill Zelensky. The private militia, known as the Wagner Group, is operating in Kyiv to assassinate Zelensky and his 23 government officials to prepare the ground for Moscow to take control. This army-for-hire is run by oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhim, who is often dubbed as ‘Putin’s chef’.
Zelensky admitted that he was ‘target number one’ during an address to the nation a few days back. He even denied the USA’s offer to extract him, saying, “I need ammunition, not ride.”
An Attempt to Decapitate Ukraine’s Government
According to The Times, the Wagner Group, a private militia, flew in mercenaries from Africa to Ukraine five weeks ago. They were then allegedly ordered by Putin to take out Zelensky and 23 others to decapitate his government in return for a lucrative financial bonus.
Among the targets were Ukraine’s Prime Minister, the entire cabinet, and the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, and his brother, Wladimir. Both the brothers are boxing champions and have become iconic figures on the front lines of Kyiv.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, the group is suspected to be tracking the targets on their hit-list via their mobile phones, claiming to know their locations at all times.
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Thousands Such Mercenaries in Ukraine
A source told The Times that by January, between 2000 and 4000 mercenaries of the Wagner Group had arrived in Ukraine. While most were sent to the rebel-held eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, around 400 were tasked with decapitating Zelensky’s government.
Ukrainian Government on High Alert
The Ukrainian government came to know of the covert mission on Saturday. Within hours, a 36-hour ‘hard’ curfew had been imposed on Kyiv to clear the city of the Russian desecrators.
Under the curfew, the civilians have strictly been warned against stepping outside, lest they be seen as Kremlin agents and may be ‘liquidated’.
The Operation Put on Hold During ‘Peace Talks’
The Times reported that the mission had been halted during the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine on the Belarus border.
However, the report states that Putin has no desire to strike a deal with Ukraine and has branded the meeting as ‘smoke and mirrors’.
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What is the Wagner Group?
This private militia was founded in 2014 by a former Russian lieutenant, Dmitry Utkin. According to an American think tank, though the group is privately owned on paper, it is “deeply intertwined” with the Russian military and intelligence community.
The group has a presence in many African nations, such as Libya, Syria, Mozambique, Mali, Sudan, and the Central African Republic.
Last December, the EU sanctioned eight individuals in the group for indulging in human rights abuses.
However, the use of private armies has been aced by the United States, which used groups like ACADEMI, also known as Blackwater, during the ‘War on Terror’ to shield US Marines from public scrutiny.
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