- Former Ukrainian lawmaker Oleg Tsaryov, 53, was shot in Crimea.
- He was thought to be in line to lead a puppet government for Vladimir Putin in Kyiv.
A former Ukrainian lawmaker who was tipped to be in line to lead a puppet government in Ukraine for Russian President Vladimir Putin was shot in Crimea.
Oleg Tsaryov, 53, a pro-Russia politician, was shot twice and is in a critical condition following an apparent assassination attempt near his home, according to a Telegram post on his account.
"The information about the attempt on Oleg Tsaryov's life is confirmed by his relatives," the post reads.
"At the time of arrival of the ambulance, Oleg was unconscious, with a lot of blood loss. There is no information about the state of his health at the moment," it continues.
The Security Service of Ukraine confirmed the assassination attempt, with one source telling the Kyiv Post: "He has long been on the list of traitors who must answer for their crimes. Tsarev is an absolutely legitimate target. This is not just a fanatic of the 'Russian world' but a person who personally came together with Russian tanks to seize Kyiv."
Tsaryov was reportedly thought to be ready to take over as the leader of a puppet government for Putin in Ukraine following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, after one Western intelligence official told the Financial Times that Russia may "position Oleg Tsaryov, and others, in leadership roles as part of this effort."
Tsaryov is named as a "traitor to the motherland" by Myrotvorets, an unofficial database of people considered to be enemies of Ukraine, Reuters reported, adding that multiple other supporters of the war on the list have been killed since the start of the conflict — including ex-submarine commander Stanislav Rzhitsky, who was shot dead in Krasnodar in southern Russia while on a run, and military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, who was killed in an explosion in a café in St. Petersburg.
The success of such assassinations, involving elite Ukrainian hit squads, reflects a growing relationship with the CIA, which has provided extensive training and equipment to Ukrainian agents, current and former Ukrainian and US officials told The Washington Post last week.
Tsaryov, however, was quick to dismiss the claims, telling the FT: "This is a pretty funny situation. Look at me. I'm not even invited to speak on [Russian] state TV because I'm not important enough. I'm a sanatorium director in Yalta."