Zelenskyy has survived three mercenary assassination attempts in the prior week

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, allegedly survived three assassination attempts last week by two different groups, Kremlin mercenaries and Chechen special forces, British newspaper The Times reported on Friday.

Two different groups have attempted to assassinate the Ukrainian leader, the so-called Wagner group, Kremlin-backed mercenaries, and Chechen special paramilitary forces, though attempts at both have been aborted by anti-war elements within Russia’s own Federal Security Service (FSB).

The aforementioned newspaper indicates that the mercenaries of the so-called Wagner group in Kyiv have suffered losses during their threats of assassination and have been alarmed by how the Ukrainians have known how to anticipate their movements.

The Times cites a source close to that group who admits it was “intriguing” how well-informed the security team protecting Zelenskyy seemed to be.

An attempt to end Zelenskyy’s life was reportedly foiled on the outskirts of Kyiv on Saturday, February 26, and according to Ukrainian security officials, a team of Chechen assassins had been “eliminated” before it could reach the Ukrainian president.

Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, revealed to Ukrainian television channels that Russian spies had tipped them off to the assassination plans.

According to Ukrainian officials, the information that led to the deaths of the Chechens came from FSB agents who oppose the Russian invasion.

“I can say that we have received information from the FSB, that they do not want to participate in this bloody war,” Danilov said, adding that “thanks to this, the Kadyrov elite group was destroyed, having come to eliminate our president.”

The Wagner group mercenaries were unaware of the attempts by Chechen assassins, but that group has been in Kyiv for more than six weeks, monitoring the activities of 24 high-profile Ukrainian targets.

According to The Times, that group was instructed to await the arrival of Russian Spetsnaz special forces, to provide them with a safe corridor out of Kyiv once the assassination was complete.

A source close to the mercenaries in Kyiv said the mercenaries were believed to have made plans to carry out another assassination attempt before the weekend.