Ukraine's SBU claims responsibility for Tsarev assassination attempt
3 Min Read
In a recent interview, the Security Service of Ukraine claimed responsibility for the attempted assassination of the former Ukrainian MP Oleg Tsarev, citing allegations that he was a "legitimate target".
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Ukrainian lawmaker Oleg Tsarev speaks during the congress of representatives of Ukrainian south-east regions, in Donetsk, Donbass, on Saturday, May 24, 2014. (AP)
Ukrainian Air Force sources in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told BBC, in an interview and without hesitation, that the SBU was indeed behind the attempted assassination of former Ukrainian Parliament deputy Oleg Tsarev.
According to the BBC interview, the UAF source said Tsarev "was long ago on the list of traitors who must answer for their crimes," stressing that "Tsarev is an absolutely legitimate target."
To further justify his assassination the Ukrainian agent told BBC, "He is not just a fanatic of the 'Russian peace', but a person who personally came together with Russian tanks to seize Kiev," alluding to Tsarev's presence with the people and defenders of the Donbass region who had been under Kievan fire since 2014 for refusing to refute their Russian heritage.
No information on Tsarev's health
While no details were disclosed from the assassination attempt, the representative of Tsarev had underscored that he was shot twice with a firearm, sometime "around midnight on the territory of the sanatorium where he lives" noting that Tsarev was residing in Yalta, Crimea.
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Information emerging from the SBU on his condition claims that Tsarev is in a critical condition and that "doctors are fighting for his life."
According to Tsarev's family and his representative, who had shared information through his Telegram channel, the former deputy "was unconscious, with a lot of blood loss" at the time of the ambulance arrival adding that "There is no information about his health at the moment."
"There is no information about the criminal, the security forces are working," according to his representative.
Who is Tsarev?
Tsarev, who has openly opposed NATO and the plot to expand NATO eastward toward Russia's borders, had repeatedly been threatened by Ukraine.
During the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Trsarev proclaimed, "I marched in the miners' columns in Kiev in 2004 against the "orange" disorder. I fought against fascists and nationalists of all stripes. I have always advocated Ukraine's non-aligned status, I am opposed to joining NATO. I stand for friendship with Russia, the Russian language and our great history - the story of Zhukov and Gagarin…"
In the past few years, a list emerged on a website called Myrotvorets, translating to Peacekeepers, a Ukrainian website that gives SBU employees and foreign services access to a database that includes information about individuals that Ukraine considers enemies. The list became known as the black kill list, because people on the list were killed, with a sign indicating their "elimination", posted on the Peacekeeper website after their murder.
Military correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky, one example of assassination whose name was on the list, was killed in an explosion in a cafe in St. Petersburg. The girl who delivered the bomb said that she was fulfilling a job by Ukrainian officials and was promised that if she completed it successfully, she would be hired by a Ukrainian media outlet.
After Tatarsky's death, the word "eliminated" appeared on the "Peacemaker" website.
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