{"id":1351627,"date":"2022-03-01T09:32:16","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T14:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1351627"},"modified":"2022-03-01T09:32:24","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T14:32:24","slug":"putins-mercenaries-flown-in-from-africa-with-hit-list-of-24-including-ukrainian-president-zelenskyy-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/putins-mercenaries-flown-in-from-africa-with-hit-list-of-24-including-ukrainian-president-zelenskyy-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Putin&#039;s Mercenaries Flown in from Africa with Hit List of 24, Including Ukrainian President Zelenskyy: Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fputins-mercenaries-flown-in-from-africa-with-hit-list-of-24-including-ukrainian-president-zelenskyy-report%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1351627&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Five weeks ago, a team of 400 mercenaries traveled from Africa to Ukraine at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n<p>Their mission? The assassination of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskyy and 23 others including members of his government, the mayor of Kyiv\u00a0Vitali Klitschko and his brother Wladimir.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/article\/volodymyr-zelensky-russian-mercenaries-ordered-to-kill-ukraine-president-cvcksh79d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Times<\/a>, a media outlet based in the United Kingdom, reported that these \u201cthugs for hire\u201d are employed by the Wagner Group, a private militia run by Russian\u00a0oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close Putin ally. These highly trained and handsomely paid fighters \u201coperat[e] as an arm-length branch of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/biden-admin-suggests-abandoning-kyiv-ukrainian-president-zelenskyy-epic-6-word-response\/?utm_source=RSSfeed&#038;utm_medium=RSSfeed&#038;utm_campaign=RSSfeed&#038;utm_content=2022-02-27\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Zelinskyy<\/a> heard this news on Saturday morning. Shortly afterward, \u201cKyiv declared a 36-hour \u2018hard\u2019 curfew to sweep the city for Russian saboteurs, warning civilians that they would be seen as Kremlin agents and risked being \u201cliquidated\u201d if they stepped outside,\u201d the Times reported.<\/p>\n<p>The source told the Times that between 2,000 to 4,000 mercenaries from the Wagner Group arrived in Ukraine in January and were deployed to Donetsk People\u2019s Republic and Luhansk People\u2019s Republic in eastern Ukraine. It was exactly one week ago that Putin recognized the independence of these two regions.<\/p>\n<div id=\"in-article-trending\" class=\"in-article-more inner-content\">\n<p>Trending:<\/p>\n<div class=\"in-article-more-right\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/retired-fbi-agent-notices-one-troubling-detail-brian-laundries-final-moments\/\" data-type=\"Internal link\" data-type-location=\"in-content-trending\">Retired FBI Agent Notices One Troubling Detail from Brian Laundrie&#8217;s Final Moments<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Moreover, 400 special operators had reportedly traveled into Ukraine from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/belarus-rejects-non-nuclear-status-sudden-shock-reversal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Belarus<\/a>, headed toward Kyiv. This group, according to the source, was told to put their mission on hold until planned negotiations between the Ukraine and Russian governments were over this week. The soldiers had been \u201cassured\u201d that nothing would come from the talks. The exercise would just be \u201csmoke and mirrors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>(The talks, held earlier on Monday, have ended and just as the mercenaries were told, they failed to reach a deal.)<\/p>\n<p>Once the mercenaries get the all-clear, they will carry out the killings, collect their \u201chefty bonuses\u201d and be safely evacuated from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-videos-flood-ukraine-citizens-soldiers-showcase-invasion-firsthand\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ukraine<\/a>\u00a0\u201cbefore the end of the week,\u201d the Times reported.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\" class=\"one-half\">\n<p>Do you think it&#8217;s possible that the Ukrainian people, led by Zelenskyy, can defeat Putin?<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-results\">\n<p>\nYes: 62% (58 Votes)\n<\/p>\n<p>\nNo: 38% (35 Votes)\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>According to the source, these operators have been tracking Zelenskyy and the others on their hit list by their cell phones and claim to know their precise locations.<\/p>\n<p>Zelenskyy spoke to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/bill-oreilly-scorches-joe-biden-charge-crushing-enemies-clearly-not\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">President Joe Biden<\/a> on Friday night and had likely just learned he was being targeted by 400 soldiers for hire. This is likely why Biden offered to evacuate the Ukrainian president from Kyiv. It was widely reported he\u2019d replied, \u201cI need ammunition, not a ride.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\u2018I need ammunition, not a ride\u2019: Zelensky declines US evacuation offer <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/65lCi0nVdi\">https:\/\/t.co\/65lCi0nVdi<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XYdmT9MptC\">pic.twitter.com\/XYdmT9MptC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 New York Post (@nypost) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nypost\/status\/1497451251386232837?\">February 26, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>General Sir Richard Barrons, a former commander of Joint Forces Command, spoke to the Times about the mercenaries. \u201cThey are very effective because they are hard to pin down,\u201d he said. \u201cThey can appear from the shadows, do very violent things and then disappear again, without it being obvious who was responsible. They are not directly linked to the Russian government, and therefore, they are plausibly deniable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And Putin appears to place greater trust in them than he does his own forces. According to the Times, \u201cSources said they had been briefed about the planned invasion of Ukraine in December, long before the Russian army was told. The mercenaries claim that there were concerns that if Russian soldiers had known they would have refused orders and that several had been executed for doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"in-article-related\" class=\"in-article-more inner-content\">\n<p>Related:<\/p>\n<div class=\"in-article-more-right\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ukraine-vows-rebuild-modern-marvel-mriya-obliterated-russian-shelling\/\" data-type=\"Internal link\" data-type-location=\"in-content-related\">Ukraine Vows to Rebuild After Modern Marvel &#8216;Mriya&#8217; Is Obliterated in Russian Shelling<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>That begs the question of what exactly were Russian forces told prior to the invasion. Perhaps what the world is construing as the ineffectiveness of the Russian military is more a matter of objecting to the mission.<\/p>\n<p>This is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/big-mistake-cost-putin-everything-moscow-becoming-increasingly-frustrated\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Putin\u2019s war<\/a>. Judging from the widespread protests within Russia, it doesn\u2019t appear that the majority of Russians support the invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>Although the Kremlin\u2019s propaganda machine has been in overdrive, the Russian people are hearing the truth from foreign media outlets and know they are being lied to.<\/p>\n<p>With the exception of the Chinese government, whom Putin has grown closer to in recent months, much of the world sees\u00a0Putin as a pariah. His deadly invasion of a sovereign country has managed to unite the member nations of NATO, tank the Russian ruble, kill its stock market and will cause serious harm to Russia\u2019s vitally important energy industry.<\/p>\n<p>A new concern has been raised over the past few days \u2014 the state of Putin\u2019s current mental health.<\/p>\n<p>Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who served under President George W. Bush, told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/has-russian-president-vladimir-putin-lost-mind\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News Sunday<\/a>, \u201cI met with him many times, and this is a different Putin. He was always calculating and cold, but this is different. He seems erratic. There is an ever deepening, delusional rendering of history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Czech President Milos Zeman, whom Fox describes as a longtime ally of the Russian president, called Putin a \u201cmadman\u201d this week.<\/p>\n<p>Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told CNN on Sunday,\u00a0\u201cI personally think he\u2019s unhinged. I worry about his acuity and balance.\u201d Clapper finds this extremely worrisome because of Putin\u2019s control over Russia\u2019s vast nuclear arsenal.<\/p>\n<p>I pray for Zelenskyy\u2019s safety, His leadership has inspired the Ukrainian people and kept them strong. They\u2019re in the fight of their lives, and the country needs him at the helm to make it through.<\/p>\n<p>I came across a fascinating Twitter post about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/six-american-special-ops-vets-take-zelenskyys-offer-join-new-unit-foreign-fighters-ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Zelenskyy<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA Jewish Ukrainian family had 4 brothers. 3 were murdered by the Nazis. Only 1 survived. His grandson is President Zelenskyy.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\u201cI need ammunition, not a ride\u201d \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Ukraine?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Ukraine<\/a> President to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Biden?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Biden<\/a> when asked if he would like to be evacuated. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MP50040sgs\">pic.twitter.com\/MP50040sgs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 StopAntisemitism.org (@StopAntisemites) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StopAntisemites\/status\/1497622540340006912?\">February 26, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Godspeed, Mr. President.<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-info-45400\" class=\"author-info inner-content\">\n<div class=\"author-image\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/estauffer\/\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Headshot-lightened-up-150x150-1.jpg\" alt=\"image\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-meta-text\">\n<p>Contributor, Commentary<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Five weeks ago, a team of 400 mercenaries traveled from Africa to Ukraine at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their mission? The assassination of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskyy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1351627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1351627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1351627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1351627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1351627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1351627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1351627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}