ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN: Elite unit of Chechen assassins hunting Zelenskyy has been 'eliminated'
The head of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov announced on television that a unit of Chechen special forces sent on a mission to assassinate Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been "eliminated". Danilov said that Ukraine received intelligence on the assassination attempt from the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) agents. "And I can say that we received information from representatives of the FSB, who today have no desire to take part in this bloody war," he said.
The special unit belonged to a Chechen paramilitary organization, the Kadyrovites, which was helping Russian forces in its Ukraine invasion. "The special operation that was to be carried out directly by the Kadyrovites to eliminate our president is fully known to us today," Danilov said.
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Danilov added that the unit split into two, with one group seeking cover in the town of Gostomel. "One group was covered in Gostomel, another group is now, let's say, under the gun," Danilov said. He added that "the Kadyrovites' elite group, which came here specifically to eliminate our president, was directly destroyed."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was urged to surrender after he declared that he will remain in Kyiv despite being "target number one" for Russian assassins who have stormed the capital. The 44-year-old president announced he was "staying" with his people despite being at the top of Putin's kill list. Some of his supporters are worried for his safety and want him to surrender as he's hunted by Russian special forces who have a list of Ukrainian officials to capture or kill. Zelenskyy's wife and two children are also in hiding but remain in the country despite fears that Kremlin wants to wipe out or imprison Ukraine's entire political class. The family was last seen together on Valentine's Day. The President had earlier told the nation, "I remain in the capital, I am staying with my people. My family is not a traitor, but a citizen of Ukraine," he said. He explained that he couldn't reveal his location.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin could reportedly be deploying one of the deadliest weapons and is also considering nuclear options. Putin deployed a terrifying rocket system onto the battlefield after three days of defense by Ukrainian forces. In footage verified by CNN, the Russian army was seen moving TOS-1 Buratino rockets towards the front line. Meanwhile, Putin reportedly also ordered the military command to put nuclear deterrence forces on high alert following aggressive statements by NATO countries.
Besides nuclear warheads, TOS-1 'Buratino' and TOS-1A 'Solntsepek' are some of the most dangerous weapons in modern-day warfare. The tanks, which feature a terrifying oblong-shaped rack on top, are loaded with batches of incendiary and thermobaric rockets that can wipe out everything within a 300-yard radius. British military sources warned that the weapon could potentially kill tens of thousands of civilians if used. The blast from the rockets is said to produce a wall of flame that is followed by a vacuum, causing fatal damage to lungs and other internal organs.