Boxing legends Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko have been added to a list of high-profile Ukrainians included on Vladimir Putin’s ‘kill list’.
Following the Russian president’s decision to launch an invasion last week, according to The Times, highly-trained mercenaries, including the private militia the Wagner Group, have been sent to Kyiv in order to take out Putin’s main targets.
The brothers, both former world heavyweight boxing champions, have officially joined the Ukrainian military to fight against the Russians and saw no option but to take up arms and help the resistance.
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“It’s already a bloody war. I don’t have another choice, I have to do that. I’ll be fighting,” the 50-year-old Vitali, who has been mayor of Kyiv since 2014, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain last week.
Wladimir, the younger of the two, added via a post on Linkedin: “Putin makes it clear that he wants to destroy the Ukrainian state and the sovereignty of its people.
“Words are followed by missiles and tanks. Destruction and death come upon us. That’s it, blood will mix with tears… We will defend ourselves with all our might and fight for freedom and democracy.”
Current heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk has also joined Ukraine’s territorial defence forces to defend his country against the Russian invasion.
Reigning IBF, WBO and WBA champion Usyk left London last week to return to his homeland, pleading with Russian president Vladimir Putin to put a halt to the war in a passionate message shared on social media.
The 35-year-old has now taken up arms with TSN reporting the champion has joined the Kyiv Territorial Defense.
Andriy Nebytov, head of the national police in Kyiv, shared an image of Usyk dressed in military attire and carrying an assault rifle alongside the message: “United for one purpose – to protect our homeland. To victory!”
The Sun, meanwhile, reports that the militia group tasked with taking out the Klitschkos, will act when and if Putin’s negotiations with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, also a primary target, fail.
Analysing the effectiveness of the notorious Wagner Group, Sir Richard Barrons, former commander of Joint Forces Command, told The Times: “They are very effective because they are hard to pin down.
“They can appear from the shadows, do very violent things and then disappear again, without it being obvious who was responsible. They are not directly linked to the Russian government and therefore they are plausibly deniable.”
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