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Russia Has Plans for Post-Invasion ‘Arrest and Assassination’ Campaign, U.S. Officials Say

Russian officials have reportedly drafted formal lists of potential threats to their agenda in Ukraine, who would be targeted during or after a Russian invasion.

U.S. officials have reportedly obtained intelligence that Russia is potentially planning to undertake an arrest and assassination campaign in Ukraine if it goes forth with an invasion, targeting well-known opposition members, anti-corruption activists, and Belarusian and Russian dissidents living in exile in Ukraine. Foreign Policy reports that according to four people familiar with U.S. intelligence, Russia has already begun making formalized lists of prominent Ukrainian figures to be targeted for arrest or assassination, including anyone who could pose a challenge to Russia’s agenda. An official who spoke to Foreign Policy on the condition of anonymity, referenced past Russian targeted operations including “targeted killings, kidnappings/forced disappearances, detentions, and the use of torture” against journalists, anti-corruption activists, and vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ people. The Biden administration warned Thursday that that an invasion could take place within the next few days, as security risks remain “very high.”