The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine confirmed on the 22nd that the car in which Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky was riding was shot that morning. Schaefer was not life-threatening and his driver was seriously injured. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said later in the day that the Russian side had nothing to do with the matter, and the speculative claims of Ukrainian politicians were "catharsis."
Assassination attempted
Ukrainian police said the shooting was in a car near a village outside Kiev, Ukraine's capital, at the time of the shooting. Anton Grachchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's interior minister, said on social media Facebook that Schaefer's driver was "seriously injured.".
Ukrainian prosecutors said the unidentified attackers fired more than a dozen rounds of ammunition at the car with automatic weapons with a caliber of 7.62 mm. A Ukrainian television station reported that there were at least 19 bullet holes on the side of the car's body.
David Allahamiya, chairman of the parliamentary caucus of Ukraine's ruling People's Servants Party, said Sheffair had been frightened and had been moved by the police to a safe location. It is unclear whether he has received death threats before. "I've had a brief conversation with him, everything is fine, he's still alive."
Associated oligarchy?
Agence France-Presse reported later on the 22nd, quoting Schaefer himself, who believed that the assassination was intended to "intimidate the president."
Zelenskiy, who attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York, issued a video statement "shouting" to the black hands behind the attack, saying that the other side "greeted" him by shooting the presidential assistant, which was "weak". Zelenskiy promised to give the attackers a "strong blow back."
Another of his assistants, Mikhail Podoliak, said the attempted assassination was linked to the Zelenskiy government's recent policy of cracking down on oligarchs.
Podoliak said it was an attack "plotting to kill key members of our team" and that "we will of course see this attack as an armed attack against the president's policy" and that the government's policy of tightening control over oligarchs will not change.
A spokesman for Zelenskiy previously told reporters that "any insidious move" would not affect the president's plan to crack down on Ukrainian oligarchs. Ukraine's parliament is scheduled to discuss a bill this week on reducing the influence of oligarchs, Reuters reported.
The Russian side retorted
Alahamiya, chairman of the parliamentary caucus of Ukraine's ruling People's Servant Party, said sheriffel could be assassinated for revenge by criminal gangs or oligarchs, and the possibility of Manipulation by Russian forces could not be ruled out.
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov responded later on the 22nd: "Unfortunately, we find that no matter what happens in Ukraine, no politician (In Ukraine) can say that this matter has nothing to do with the Russian side." It has nothing to do with the truth, it's just a sign of their emotional excitement. ”
Kosachev, vice chairman of the Committee of the Russian Federation (the upper house of parliament), said that the fact that Ukrainian politicians made up their minds before the investigation was launched just showed that Ukrainian politicians were "of low quality."
Since the annexation of Crimea into Russia and the outbreak of conflicts in eastern Ukraine in 2014, Russian-Ukrainian relations have deteriorated so far. The situation in eastern Ukraine heated up again earlier this year. The United States and other Western countries and Ukraine allege that Russia's concentration of troops in the border area has led to tensions in eastern Ukraine, while the Russian side has emphasized that the concentration of troops is to ensure the security of its own border.
Source Beijing Evening News According to Xinhua News Agency
Process Editor Wu Yue