The Klitschko brothers are reportedly on a select 'Russian hit list' of targets that also includes the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
After years of political conflict, Vladimir Putin essentially declared war last Thursday when he ordered troops over the border and into Ukraine.
Wladimir and Vitali, who has served as the Mayor of Kyiv since 2014, wasted no time in taking up arms to help defend their country, and fellow boxers Vasiliy Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk have since followed suit.
On Sunday, Wladimir, issued a desperate video plea to other nations to help halt the invasion but 24 hours later, Ukraine ’s interior ministry claimed that 352 civilians have thus far been killed, including 14 children, while more than 1600 more people have been wounded.
And according to The Times , around 400 Russian mercenaries are currently operating in the capital of Kyiv, under orders from the Kremlin to assassinate President Zelensky and his government.
The 'hit list' is said to consist of 23 other names, including cabinet members and the Klitschko brothers.
The report revealed that Wagner Group, a private militia run by one of President Putin’s closest allies, flew in mercenaries from Africa last month on a mission to decapitate Zelensky’s government in return for a financial bonus.
Information about their mission is said to have reached the Ukrainian government on Saturday morning and hours later Kyiv declared a 36-hour curfew to sweep the city for Russian saboteurs, warning civilians that they would be seen as Kremlin agents if they stepped outside.
And a source closely connected to the group’s activities allegedly confirmed that between 2,000 and 4,000 mercenaries had crossed the border in January, and were deployed to various regions around the Ukraine.
The mercenaries are awaiting a signal from the Kremlin and have been promised hefty bonuses for assassinations, as well as safely being transported out of the Ukraine before the end of the week.
Zelensky, who has himself taken up arms, agreed on Sunday to send a delegation to meet a Russian team at the Belarus border - but admitted he wasn't convinced the gesture was legitimate.
Putin has claimed the mission is an attempt to "free Ukrainians from oppression,” but declaring war has now exposed Russia to a number of political, financial, and sporting sanctions.
