'Russia sending new terrorist group to kill Ukrainian leadership'

Ukrainian intelligence has claimed that Russia is sending a new terrorist group to kill the leadership in Kiev amid the ongoing war, the media reported.

In a Facebook post, Chief Directorate of Intelligence under Ukraine's Defence Minister said that "another group of militants associated with Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian propagandist close to President Vladimir Putin and owner of a Russian mercenary group called Liga (Wagner), have started arriving in Ukraine on Sunday", Ukrayinska Pravda reported.

"The main task of the criminals is to eliminate the top military and political leadership of Ukraine."

According to the intelligence agency, the group's main targets are President Volodymyr Zelensky, Head of the Presidential Administration Andriy Yermak and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

"Putin personally ordered one of the few proxies to carry out new attacks. All previous attempts have ended in the failure and elimination of terrorists," it said.

The agency went on to say that Russia is continuing its efforts to try to "destabilise the Ukrainian government, demoralise society, disrupt the resistance movement, and slow down Ukraine's international cooperation".

"The organisation of assassinations of top figures of our state is part of the occupiers' strategy... The Ukrainian army, special services, and law enforcement agencies are well aware of the Kremlin's plans. We are ready to repel the aggressor both at the front and in the rear. No terrorist attack will succeed."