Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly survived three assassination attempts in the last seven days.
A report by The Times detailed how mercenaries sent to kill the president were foiled by subversive anti-war members of Russia's Federal Security Service (the country's successor to the KGB) who leaked the plot to Ukrainian officials.
Mercenary assassins from the Kremlin-backed Wagner group and Chechen special forces were allegedly hired to murder Zelensky after Russia invaded Ukraine last week.
Ukraine's Secretary of National Security and Defense confirmed that there had been three assassination attempts to local press, adding that all three had been thwarted thanks to Russian double-agents "who do not want to take part in this bloody war."
One group of potential assassins - the Wagner group - reportedly infiltrated Ukraine with a 24-name kill list. Alongside President Zelensky, the hit list included the prime minister, his entire cabinet, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko and his brother Wladimir - both of whom are boxing champions who have become iconic on the front lines.
Run by oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin - one of Putin's closest allies - the Wagner Group was reportedly flown in five weeks ago and offered a huge sum for the mission.
However, their assassination plot was thwarted by the Ukrainian government, who ordered a 36-hour hard curfew in Kyiv so they could sweep the streets for potential saboteurs, and warned civilians they could be "liquidated" if spotted outdoors.
Meanwhile, another of the groups reportedly sent to kill Zelensky - members of the Chechen hit squad known for their brutal tactics - allegedly attempted to murder him on March 1.
News of the multiple assassinations plots does not seem to have fazed Zelensky, who remains in Kyiv despite admitting that he is "target number one" in an address to the Ukrainian people.
When offered the chance to be extracted by US forces, Zelensky reportedly told President Joe Biden "I need ammunition, not a ride."
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