The life of the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, could be in danger, after the London newspaper The Times published a report revealing that the fearsome Wagner Group is in Kiev with the aim of assassinating the president Ukrainian to overthrow his government.
The prestigious newspaper revealed that the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company, which in the past has been accused of working covertly with the government of Vladimir Putin, carried out 400 mercenaries from Africa to Kiev for five weeks with the mission of beheading Zelensky, in order to install a new government that would be controlled by the Kremlin.
The information was received by the Ukrainian government for the first time on Saturday, The Times detailed, and hours later, a curfew was implemented in Kiev between 5: pm and 8: 00 am for the following 82 hours, in order to strengthen security in the capital.
“All civilians who will be on the streets during the curfew will be considered members of enemy reconnaissance and sabotage groups,” said Vitali Klitschko, mayor of Kiev .
Private companies like the Wagner Group have become a tool used by Russia to expand its influence around the world, while defending its interests. It was learned that there is a presence of Russian mercenaries in at least 30 countries worldwide, demonstrating a clear expansion of the squad, Infobae indicated.
Given the escalation of violence in Ukrainian territory, the Zelensky government began a search for Russian saboteurs in the streets of Kiev, and it is presumed that the Wagner Group would be owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch who manages groups of highly trained mercenaries.
These agents await orders from the Putin government to attack, and the report specified that they have a list of 23 targets, including Mayor Klitshko and his brother Wladimir, both taking a critical role in the front line of attack on the Ukrainian forces.
The knowledge of the report comes on the same day that a senior US defense official told journalists that there are reconnaissance forces in Kiev, although he did not confirm whether that s forces were ordered to assassinate Zelensky, Fox News reported.
In December, the European Union (EU), supported by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, agreed to sanction the Wagner Group for alleged serious human rights abuses, including executions, torture and extrajudicial killings, as well as destabilizing activities in countries such as Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic and the Ukrainian region of Donbas.
The use of these private forces It can be beneficial for the Kremlin, since they are less risky than using soldiers from the Russian Army for this type of activity, since they are more expendable in case they die in a mission.
In addition, this type of soldier has become a source for obtaining intelligence information and carrying out covert actions and clandestine activities, according to what was indicated by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).