Intel Officer Reveals Ukraine's Kill List: Putin Is Priority, Top Russian Officials Are Next Targets

The deputy head of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate on Wednesday revealed that Kyiv is keeping a kill list, with Russian President Vladimir Putin being the top priority.

In an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt, Vadym Skibitsky said Ukraine is "getting closer and closer" to assassinating Putin, but added that the Russian leader is also "afraid of being killed by his own people" amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as translated by the Kyiv Post.

In addition to Putin, Skibitsky said Ukraine is "trying to kill" Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin followed by other figures involved in the war, including Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

"Our priority is to eliminate the unit commander who orders his men to attack," Skibitsky said. "Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu planned the attack and now they cannot turn back."

He later added that the kill list could also be expanded to cover Russian propagandists, oligarchs and civilians who continue to manufacture weapons for and finance the Russian army.

"We are at war and these are our enemies. According to international conventions, this is a legitimate goal. In the end, everyone will have to answer for their actions," Skibitsky said.

In response to Skibitsky's statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the country's security service "know their job and know what they are doing." He also said Skibitsky's remarks serve as a "confirmation" that Russia's so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine is justified.

"The terrorist regime is talking about its terrorist aspirations," Peskov said, as quoted by Reuters.

Prigozhin also issued a response to Skibitsky's interview and claimed that Ukrainians "are quite cruel people," which is why their plans to kill both him and Putin are "understandable," as translated via Google Translate.

It is not the first time Ukraine spoke about its kill list. Last week, Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, admitted that the country has been behind a number of assassinations targeting Russian propagandists, as reported by The Times. Budanov did not specify which individuals had been targeted by Ukraine.