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Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate and defend the inhabitants of the Donbass region, where people have been suffering from a blockade and regular attacks by the Kiev regime's forces since 2014.

Ukrainian Intelligence Head Confirms Kiev's Involvement in Terrorist Attacks on Russians

© AP Photo / Efrem LukatskyUkrainian law enforcers, armed with military equipment, have been deployed in the streets of Odessa, in southern Ukraine, which is on high alert following threats of a terrorist attack
Ukrainian law enforcers, armed with military equipment, have been deployed in the streets of Odessa, in southern Ukraine, which is on high alert following threats of a terrorist attack - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 17.05.2023
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, admitted on Tuesday Kiev's involvement in terrorist attacks against well-known Russian citizens, saying that Ukraine had already "got" many of them.
"We have already got many people. There are such cases spread in media that are becoming known to the public as people say," Budanov told a Ukrainian journalist, who asked him if Kiev will "get" Sputnik and RT Editor-In-Chief Margarita Simonyan, prominent Russian journalist Vladimir Solovyov and others.
At the same time, Budanov refused to say whether Ukraine had been behind the attempted murder of Russian writer, politician and co-chairman of the political party "A Just Russia — For Truth", Zakhar Prilepin, that took place earlier in the month.
"When you get personal, I have to answer you the way any intelligence services in the world usually do. We cannot comment on this situation and can neither confirm nor deny this information," the intelligence official added.
On May 6, Prilepin's car was blown up on a highway in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Region. The driver was killed, while Prilepin was injured. The main suspect in the assassination attempt, Alexander Permyakov, was apprehended by the regional police in hot pursuit later that day. He admitted during an interrogation that he had acted on the instructions of the Ukrainian special services, the Russian Investigative Committee said.
Zakhar Prilepin - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 07.05.2023
Russian Investigators: Suspect in Prilepin's Car Bombing Admits Acting on Kiev's Orders
Another terrorist attack involving a prominent Russian national took place in early April. An unidentified explosive device went off in a cafe in the center of St. Petersburg, killing military reporter Vladlen Tatarsky. Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said that the terrorist attack had been planned by the Ukrainian special services.

At the same time, the US authorities do not exclude the option of recognizing Russia, rather than Ukraine, as a state sponsor of terrorism.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday declined to rule out the possibility of the United States designating Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, following questioning on the matter by Sen. Lindsey Graham.

"Never say never," Blinken said during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, when asked whether the Biden administration intends on designating Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.

Designating Russia a state sponsor of terrorism could deter China from possibly providing them with lethal aid that could be used in its special military operation in Ukraine, Graham said. Countries designated as a state sponsor of terrorism by the US Secretary of State are subject to strict sanctions, including limitations on foreign assistance, a ban on defense sales and miscellaneous financial restrictions, according to the State Department.
The US currently designates Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Syria as state sponsors of terrorism.

UN on Budanov Admitting to Assassinations in Russia: We're Against Terror Acts

In the meantime, the United Nations said it has not seen remarks by Ukrainian military intelligence chief claiming responsibility for recent assassinations of public figures in Russia, but opposes "all" terrorist attacks.
"I have not seen the quote. I am not able to talk on the veracity of it," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a briefing. "But of course, we stand against any and all acts of terrorism."
In an interview with Yahoo News earlier this month, Budanov when asked about US intelligence reportedly attributing the August car-bomb assassination of Daria Dugina to the Ukrainian government, asked not to "continue with that topic." He added that all he would comment on is that Ukrainian forces "have been killing Russians" and "will keep killing Russians anywhere on the face of this world until the complete victory of Ukraine."
Back then, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Budanov's statements confirm that Russian President Vladimir Putin was right to begin a special military operation in Ukraine.
Peskov said Budanov's "monstrous" words are a direct confirmation that the Ukrainian authorities are not "just a sponsor, but also an organizer of terrorist activity."
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