Russia's security chiefs have demanded, and reportedly won, an end to the Kremlin's unwritten ban on killing Volodymyr Zelensky and the top command of Ukraine's General Staff, according to pro-Kremlin outlets citing senior sources inside Moscow's security establishment.
The claim surfaced Saturday in Bloknot, drawing on the Telegram channel "Akademiya," linked to veterans of the Alpha counter-terrorism unit, and the war correspondents' channel "50 Shades of Kalashnikov." Within hours it was picked up by the Moscow tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets.
According to those sources, the demand came at a late-night meeting Putin held with his Security Council on Thursday, Nov. 12, straight after his two-hour session with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, whose Kremlin visit we covered Thursday. Besides the council's permanent members, the room reportedly held the Russian negotiators just back from the Abu Dhabi talks, among them Vladimir Medinsky and Yuri Ushakov, plus officials from the Foreign and Defense Ministries.
Steve Witkoff to Putin:
The Europeans were physically in the United Arab Emirates. Even though they were not at the negotiating table, we consulted with them.
We were speaking with them, and we gave them updates on everything we were discussing.
I think, in general, ther
