The picture shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Zelensky was on the verge of being assassinated? Is this a Russian "decapitation operation" or a Ukrainian "god-making campaign"? The Ukrainian side announced on May 7 that it had foiled an assassination attempt planned by Russia against Zelensky and Ukraine's top brass.
Let's look at what happened first. According to information released by the Ukrainian side, two colonels of the State Security Service of Ukraine were arrested. The Ukrainian side believes that the two men were instructed by Russia to collect the coordinates of the location of the Ukrainian leader. The targets of the "decapitation operation" included not only Zelensky, but also the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, Budanov, and the head of the National Security Service of Ukraine, Malyuk. Ukraine believes that the assassination was a "gift" to Putin's inauguration.
The picture shows the Ukrainian army
The Ukrainian side also revealed a series of details of the operation. For example, the assassination will be carried out in three steps, starting with a rocket attack, followed by a drone attack to kill survivors, and finally Russia will launch missiles based on coordinates to erase traces of the drone attack. Allegedly, the two Ukrainian colonels were already working for the Russian Federal Security Service long before the start of the "special military operation" in February 2022. One of them admitted that he had received weapons and equipment, including anti-infantry mines, rocket launchers, drones and explosives. The two men will be tried for "treason".
Of course, Russia categorically denies Ukraine's accusations. But considering that the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs had just put Zelensky and others on the wanted list, this made this "beheading operation" a little more credible. It is obviously impossible for Russia to arrest the Ukrainian leader under domestic law, and the arrest of Zelensky is effectively denying the legitimacy of the Ukrainian leader. This not only closed the door to negotiations with Zelensky, but also showed Russia's intention to "get rid of Zelensky as soon as possible".
The picture shows Putin inspecting the army
But it is also necessary to say that even if there is a "decapitation operation" at this stage, it may be difficult to have a subversive impact on the war. At the beginning of the war, if the Russian army quickly captured Kyiv and took control of the center of the Ukrainian government, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict was likely to be a blitzkrieg. But history has no ifs, and even if the leadership of Kyiv changes now, there is a high probability that Ukraine's resistance to Russia will continue. The so-called "mourning soldiers will win", Ukraine's will to resist will even become stronger. Western aid to Ukraine will not stop.
In fact, this is not the first time that the Ukrainian side has announced an assassination plot against Zelensky. Just last month, Poland also arrested a Polish citizen who was also accused of "transmitting information to Russian intelligence to assist in the assassination of Zelensky." In addition, the Ukrainian side often releases news that Zelensky brushed shoulders with death under Russian air strikes when he inspected the front line. In March this year, when Zelensky and the Greek prime minister were on an inspection trip to Odessa, a Russian missile exploded 500 meters from the convoy, and neither leader was injured. For Ukraine, reporting on similar events has helped shape Zelenskyy's heroic image, which has helped to unite Ukraine's domestic will to fight and to secure Western aid.
Pictured are Sunak and Zelensky
Of course, there are also assassinations carried out on the territory of Russia in Ukraine. The assassination of Dugina, the daughter of Russian far-right activist Dugin, is a case in point. But so far, Ukraine has not had the guts to launch a direct attack against the Russian leader. Perhaps the most risky was last May, when the Kremlin was attacked by drones.
However, it is worth noting that a few days ago, the United Kingdom lifted restrictions on weapons to aid Ukraine, allowing Ukraine to attack the Russian mainland. It is also a signal of an escalation of the conflict, and Ukraine may have more aggressive actions with the support of Western countries. The longer the conflict between Russia and Ukraine drags on, both sides will become omniactive, and the bottom line will continue to be breached.