Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zalansky has survived more than a dozen assassination attempts in the first two weeks of the war – and remains Russia’s “main target,” according to one of his key advisers.
“Ukrainian President Vladimir Zalansky is the number one enemy of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin thought he would make Zalanski surrender, but Zalansky not only did not surrender, but could further cause Putin to surrender,” said Zalanski’s adviser Mikhail Podolyak. We have a very strong network of intelligence and counter-intelligence, they are monitoring everything, “said the Presidential Adviser to the Ukrainian Media.
Several infiltrators’ attempts were reportedly thwarted after assassins were killed while trying to reach Zalanski’s home, the counsel said. “Our foreign partners are talking about two or three attempts. I believe there have been more than a dozen such attempts,” Podolyak said, referring to a previous claim that they had tried to eliminate Zalansky three times.
Podolyak said that “the risks have not disappeared”, against the background of exposing Zalansky’s location in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv last Tuesday, when Zalansky posted a video from his hiding place to broadcast that he is not afraid and does not hide.
The Times of London reported that the Chechen special forces, backed by the Kremlin, were behind the first three assassination attempts foiled against Zalansky. But despite the threats, Zlansky repeatedly swore he would stay in the capital, and even shared a video showing him in his office.
The adviser supported Zalanski’s claim at the beginning of the invasion that the president is Putin’s number one target, with his wife and children in second place.