Nikita Klenkon, a high-ranking official in Russia’s main foreign military intelligence agency, the GRU, has been assassinated in an attack the Kremlin believes was orchestrated by Ukraine.

Klenkov, 44, was deputy head of a GRU military unit and had recently returned from fighting on the front lines of Ukraine. He was killed in Melenki, a village in the Moscow Oblast in a manner the Kremlin noted as being very professional.

A car drove up right next to Klenkov’s own vehicle and shot at him three times point-blank. Klenkov’s vehicle, a Hyundai Palisade, kept driving until it crashed into a fence. Klenkov was announced as being dead on the spot.

Klenkov’s unit, GRU 43292, is a training center for Russia’s Special Operations Forces, which are elite troops specializing in covert and high-stakes military missions. His direct involvement in these operations made him a significant figure in Russia’s military strategy in Ukraine.

The fact that the attack took place less than 20 minutes from this training center, and just a week after he returned from Ukraine, raises suspicions that his movements were being closely monitored by Ukrainian intelligence agents.

Witnesses at the scene described seeing a 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander SUV fleeing the area shortly after the shooting. The attackers were able to escape undetected, raising questions about security measures and the threats facing Russian officials in their own country.

Ukraine has denied involvement in the recent attack. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, the main federal investigative authority in the country, is treating the assassination as tied to Klenkov’s professional activities, particularly his role in the Ukraine conflict.

Russia gaining grounds in Ukraine

Meanwhile, the conflict in Ukraine continues to intensify. Russian forces have recently captured two villages, Krasnyi Yar in Donetsk and Nevske in Luhansk, while fierce fighting rages in other parts of eastern Ukraine, particularly in Kurakhove, where Russian forces launched 42 assaults in one day.

Ukrainian troops managed to repel 16 of these attacks, but the battle is far from over, with both sides suffering significant casualties. (Related: Zelensky in trouble as Russia captures more settlements, villages on Ukraine’s eastern front.)

On the diplomatic front, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has introduced a “victory plan,” which includes a request for specific military weapons and an “unconditional” invitation for Ukraine to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Zelensky believes that if the plan is implemented swiftly, the war could be concluded as early as next year.

However, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has criticized the proposal, stating that it would push NATO into direct conflict with Russia, a move they argue would spell disaster for the Ukrainian people.

While Zelensky’s plan has garnered some support within NATO, with Secretary General Mark Rutte calling it a “positive development,” there remains hesitation to fully endorse it due to concerns about escalating the war.

As Russia’s leadership scrambles to address both military setbacks and internal instability, Klenkov’s death highlights the growing risks for those tied to the war effort. The assassination of such a high-ranking officer underscores the possibility that these attacks are not isolated incidents, but part of a deliberate effort to destabilize Russia’s military apparatus.

Watch this video from “Borzzikman” discussing how Kyiv believes the United States and NATO are about to surrender Ukraine to Russia.

This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

NATO developing plans for MASS CASUALTIES in WWIII conflict with Russia.

ESCALATION: Moscow now says non-nuclear attacks by West could warrant nuclear response by Russia.

PUSHED TOO FAR: Former Putin advisor says Russia has no choice but to use tactical NUCLEAR WEAPONS against NATO.

Sources include:

Newsweek.com

AlJazeera.com

Brighteon.com