After Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, Ukrainian politician Oleg Tsaryov defected to the Russian side.
In the first days of the war, he was singled out as the Russian leader who would succeed Volodymyr Zelenskyj in the event of a successful invasion of Ukraine.
During the night of Friday, he was shot in his home.
– He has long been on the list of traitors who must be held accountable for his crimes, a source within the Ukrainian security service told Reuters.
Politician Oleg Tsaryov has previously been a member of the Ukrainian parliament. When Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula nine years ago, he chose to become part of the pro-Russian confederation that saw the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as parts of Russia.
Oleg Tsarjov has been subject to sanctions by, among others, the United States and Ukraine. In the first days of the war in February last year, he was singled out as the leader who would succeed Volodymyr Zelenskyj in the event of a successful Russian invasion of Ukraine and Kiev.
Russian authorities are investigating attempted murder
Three sources familiar with Vladimir Putin’s plans for the invasion told Reuters that the Kremlin planned for Tsarev to lead a puppet government in Kiev after the Ukrainian government was toppled. Tsaryov himself denied the information.
During the night of Friday, Oleg Tsarjov was attacked in his home in the city of Yalta on the Crimean Peninsula, several media reports. He was shot several times and had to be taken to hospital with serious injuries.
“When the ambulance arrived, Oleg was unconscious and had lost a lot of blood,” reads a post on the politician’s Telegram account.
Russian authorities have launched a preliminary investigation into attempted murder, and Ukrainian security services have claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Reuters.
Security Service of Ukraine: “On the list of traitors”
A source within Ukraine’s military intelligence service, the SBU, tells the news agency that it is a covert operation and that Tsarjov is a “legitimate target”.
– He has long been on the list of traitors who must be held accountable for their crimes. He was not just a fan of “the Russian world” but a person who came along with Russian tanks to take over Kiev, the anonymous source said.
Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence service, says it will not comment on the incident at this time.
– When there is information that his body temperature has dropped below 36.6 degrees, there will definitely be a statement, he says in a Ukrainian television interview.