One of the main tasks of the special units of Ukraine’s intelligence service is to eliminate Russian President Vladimir Putin, and it remains a top priority, revealed Vadim Skibitsky, the deputy head of Ukrainian military intelligence, in an interview with Die Welt.
After the outbreak of the war, Washington made it clear that it would not support any assassination attempt against the Russian president. Skibitsky’s statement, as well as developments in recent days, increasingly point to the United States losing control of its ally at war, which poses an extreme risk of escalation.
Skibicky said that it is very difficult to assassinate the Russian president, who is always protected by the highest security measures, and that he is “keeping a low profile, although he is now starting to stick his head out.” Skibicky pointed to the Russian leader using body doubles, which makes the task of killing him much harder.
The Ukrainian spy agency is “not sure whether it’s really him,” Skibitsky said. He added that Putin “notices that we’re getting ever closer to him.”
“Other names on the Special Forces ‘hit list’ include Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group, Russian General Sergei Surovikin, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. We are at war and they are our enemies. Their liquidation would save many civilian lives,” said Skibicki.
“I always say that the enemy must be respected. Of course, I respect their decision,” Prigozhin responded to the new interview details surrounding Ukraine’s desire to assassinate him.
In April 2022, U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham urged the assassination of the Russian President in a Twitter post, but the White House also distanced itself strongly from the call.
“The only way to end this (war) is for somebody in Russia to take this guy (Vladimir Putin) out,” Graham wrote.
“This is not consistent with the position of the U.S. government. Definitely not a statement that would be heard from the lips of any of us who work in this administration,” said Jen Psaki, who served as White House spokeswoman at the time.
Experts say that if the United States were to support such an assassination, it would set an incredibly dangerous precedent that could be cited by countries around the world in the future.
Is Washington no longer in control?
Skibicky’s admission is yet another sign that Ukraine is repeatedly ignoring the requests of its main ally. This is illustrated by the drone attacks on the Kremlin in early May, which a recent report suggests may have been carried out by Ukrainian special forces.
In addition, U.S. officials believe that Kyiv may be behind the assassination of the daughter of Alexander Dugin, a philosopher and intellectual thought to have a large influence on Russia’s foreign policy goals, as well as the bombing of Russian military blogger Vladen Tatarsky and sabotage actions in the Russian-Ukrainian border areas, notably Belgorod.
Regarding the incursion into Belgorod, the Biden administration has admitted that it is concerned that Ukraine is using weapons and military equipment provided by Washington outside its own territory, despite its promises.
