sent into Ukraine to hunt down and assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was "eliminated" by security forces, a top Kyiv defense official told national media.Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Oleksiy Danilov reportedly told the Ukraine 24 TV channel that defense forces countered two death squads sent after Zelenskyy on Tuesday, according to a translation of his remarks.He said Ukrainian forces got intelligence about a planned attack on Zelenskyy and destroyed an elite Chechen unit. "The special operation that was to be carried out directly by the Kadyrovites to eliminate our president is fully known to us today, and I can say that we received information from representatives of the FSB, who today have no desire to take part in this bloody war," he said.
Ramzan Kadyrov is the leader of the Chechen Republic, which is a semiautonomous part of Russia. He is an ally of Vladimir Putin, and his commandos are considered fierce, highly skilled fighters.
The FSB is in reference to Russia's Federal Security Service. GROZNY, CHECHEN REPUBLIC, RUSSIA - FEBRUARY 25, 2022: Servicemen take part in a review of the Chechen Republic's troops and military hardware at the residence of Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic, after Russia's President Putin announced h Fox News Digital reported Monday that Putin’s move to send Chechen fighters to join the invasion may have backfired as the Ukrainian military outperformed Russian expectations.The Chechens are part of a Russian national guard unit and are well known for fighting insurgencies, using brutal tactics that even jolted Russia during its two brutal wars in the '90s against them.