He “killed Chechens in Kyiv” in 2022

Deputy Head of the President's Office Oleh Tatarov and the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Vasyl Malyuk, “killed Chechens in Kyiv,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on August 27, likely referring to the early stages of Russia's full-scale invasion.

When asked by a journalist about the effectiveness of Zelensky's team, the president replied: “Oleh Tatarov, together with Vasyl Maliuk, killed Chechens in Ukraine, in Kyiv, when you were not here.”

“Should I drive him out to be killed by the Russians?” he asked. The president did not give any further details, but claimed that Ukrainian journalists had been informed “unofficially” and that the United States also knew about it.

Tatarov is the most controversial official in Zelensky's government. He is accused of bribery, but the corruption case against him was obstructed and thwarted by law enforcement agencies and courts.

Despite the controversy, Zelensky refused to suspend or fire Tatarov.

In the early stages of the large-scale Russian invasion, a group of Chechen fighters fighting for Moscow attempted to enter Kyiv to assassinate Zelensky, but the plan was thwarted.

It is unclear whether the two cases are related.