Reports Claim Russia Hired 400 Mercenaries to ‘Assassinate’ Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

Over 400 mercenaries were allegedly flown in from Africa to Ukraine by the Kremlin to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

QUICK FACTS:

• A report from The Sunday Times indicates that there are reports that more than 400 Russian mercenaries have been brought into Kyiv by order of the Kremlin.
• The publication indicates they have reason to believe these mercenaries have been tasked with assassinating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russia invades Ukraine.
• According to a source cited by the Times, the mercenaries were coordinated by The Wagner Group, which is a private militia group run by allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Zelensky says "more than 400" Wagner mercenaries were sent to Kyiv to kill him, failed.
Wagner sources tell us that indeed, mercenaries were sent with this goal among others, but "not Wagner anymore, it's a new PMC". https://t.co/22wclw2VJK

— Christo Grozev (@christogrozev) February 28, 2022

MORE ABOUT THE MERCENARIES AND THEIR MISSION:

• Saturday morning information reached the Ukrainian government in Kyiv about the alleged assassination attempt.
• The government promptly declared a 36-hour “hard” curfew to sweep the city for Russian saboteurs, according to the times.
• Local citizens were also warned they could be seen as Krimlinn agents and risk being “liquidated” if they broke the curfew and went outside.

BACKGROUND:

• Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last week. However, Ukraine is “mounting a stiff resistance,” according to MSN News.
• While the conflict shows no signs of stopping, there have been officials from both nations that meet for peace talks near Ukraine’s border with Belarus, according to Fox News.