Ukrainian pro-Russian leader in serious condition after being shot
He was reportedly lined up to lead a Russian-controlled government in Ukraine.
A pro-Russian Ukrainian politician has reportedly suffered serious injuries after being shot.
Oleg Tsaryov is in intensive care following the incident, a Russian official said on Friday.
Mr Tsaryov was installed by Vladimir Putin to the help govern areas of the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine controlled by Russian forces.
He was also reported to have been lined up by Moscow to lead a puppet administration in Kyiv after Russia’s invasion.
‘Oleg’s condition is very serious. He is currently in intensive care,’ said Vladimir Rogov, a senior Russian-installed official in southern Ukraine.
It’s not yet known where the shooting happened.
Despite reports suggesting Mr Tsaryov would head up a Russian-controlled government in Ukraine should Putin’s invasion be successful, he had denied those claims.
He previously told the Financial Times that the idea was ‘pretty funny’ because he was just running a wellness business in Crimea and was ‘not important enough’.
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The 53-year-old was a former member of the Ukrainian parliament and then speaker of the parliament of ‘Novorossiya’ – an entity formed after Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine broke away in 2014 and began fighting Ukrainian forces.
Mr Tsaryov was once a member of the Party of Regions – a pro-Russian party that was banned in February this year.
He has reportedly been wanted by Ukrainian police since June 2014 for promoting separatism and violence.
On Thursday night, the Russian government was forced to publicly deny that Putin had died at his luxury forest palace.
The death of the leader, 72, had nbeen ‘announced’ on Telegram by channel General SVR, which has long claimed Putin was terminally ill.
There have long been rumours that the president is unwell and is using body doubles – claims which were backed by Japanese AI research last week.
The Kremlin has always denied the claims.
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