An apparent attempt by Russia to hunt down and assassinate the president of Ukraine didn't exactly go as planned.
A top Ukrainian defense official said security forces countered two death squads that were sent after President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday and both were "eliminated," FOX News reported.
Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine's Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, told national media that officials were tipped off about the planned attack by members of Russia's Federal Security Service who do not support the war.
Danilov went on to say the mercenaries were an elite team of soldiers from the Chechen Republic, which is a semi-autonomous part of Russia. The Chechen special forces, known as Kadyrovites, are part of a Russian national guard unit and are well known for fighting insurgencies, according to FOX News.
"We are very well aware of the special operation that was to take place directly by the Kadyrovites to eliminate our president," Danilov said, adding that the commandos have since been "eliminated."
Danilov explained that the hit squad was divided into two teams, both of which were destroyed "under fire."
Zelensky predicted the assassination attempt last week, saying in a video statement that he was the prime target of Russian forces.
"According to our information, the enemy marked me as target No. 1, my family as target No. 2," Zelensky said. "They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state."
Russia's attack on Ukraine has been ongoing since the country was invaded on February 24.
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