Ukrainian spies behind attempted assassination of Putin’s chosen Crimean leader

Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service has revealed it was behind the attempted assassination of a businessman once earmarked by the Kremlin to become the puppet leader of Crimea.

Oleg Tsaryov, 53, was shot twice on Friday at the Kirov Sanatorium in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014 from Ukraine.

In comments to Ukrainian news website, Ukrainskaya Pravda, a source in the SBU described Mr Tsaryov as a “legitimate target” because he had supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and encouraged Ukrainian towns to surrender.

“He has long been on the list of traitors who need to answer for their crimes,” the source said.

The SBU and Ukrainian partisans have assassinated dozens of pro-Kremlin Ukrainian businessmen or officials working in areas captured by Russia since its invasion in February 2022.

The attempt to kill Mr Tsaryov, though, stands out as he was shot in Crimea. He will also be regarded as one of Ukrainian assassins’ most high-profile targets.

Mr Tsaryov was a member of Ukraine’s parliament until 2014 when he was expelled for supporting Russia’s annexation of Crimea. He became a senior pro-separatist official in Donetsk before he moved to Kremlin-controlled Crimea and set up a hotel business.

Potential leader of Kyiv

The US has previously said the Kremlin had identified Mr Tsaryov as a potential leader for Ukraine if it had succeeded in capturing Kyiv in the first few weeks of its invasion.

Vladimir Rogov, a pro-Kremlin official in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, said on Friday that Mr Tsaryov was in a serious condition but had not died.

“Oleg’s condition is very serious. He is currently in intensive care,” he said. “I ask Orthodox people to pray for the health of Oleg.”

There have been no updates on Mr Tsaryov’s condition, although the SBU source told Ukrainskaya Pravda that he had died.

The Kirov sanatorium, where Mr Tsaryov was shot, is one of the oldest and most upmarket health spas in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

A post on Tsaryov’s Telegram account said he had been shot twice and that by the time the ambulance had arrived, he was unconscious and had lost a lot of blood.