Ukrainian Security Service allegedly behind assassination attempt on former Ukrainian parliament member Oleg Tsarev
Former Member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and one of the leaders of the DPR and LPR separatists, Oleg Tsarev, was the target of an assassination attempt organized by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), a source in the special service told Ukrainian media.
"He has long been on the list of traitors who must answer for their crimes. Tsarev is a completely legitimate target. He is not just a fanatic of the 'Russian world', but a person who personally came with Russian tanks to capture Kyiv," the source in the SBU is quoted by the Ukrinform, Ukrainska Pravda, Ukrainian BBC service, and other media outlets.
Sources confirmed that Tsarev was shot twice with a firearm. According to operational information, his condition is critical, the source in the SBU said.
The assassination attempt on Tsarev took place on October 27th in Yalta, in the annexed Crimea. "Oleg's condition is very serious. At the moment, he is in intensive care. Oleg was shot," said Vladimir Rogov, a representative of the Russian authorities in the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region. According to the Telegram channel Mash, the assassination attempt occurred near the politician's house. As of the evening of October 27th, media outlets and Telegram channels reported that Tsarev was in critical condition.
In Ukraine, Tsarev served as a member of the Verkhovna Rada for four convocations and was also the deputy head of the "Party of Regions" faction in the 7th convocation of the Verkhovna Rada. In 2013, Tsarev spoke out against the Euromaidan. Since July 2014, he has been the "speaker of the parliament" of the self-proclaimed Novorossiya, composed of representatives of the breakaway Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics. In Ukraine, he was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison in 2022.