Members of the Shaman unit of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) are involved in the assassination of high-ranking Russian officers, GRU representative Andriy Yusov has said in an interview with Ukrainian News.
"There are (such missions - ed.). We will not name names and units, but we are talking about the work of the GUR. There are such cases, the work is ongoing. There are a lot of war criminals, so there will be enough work to do," he said.
When asked whether Shaman operates only in the occupied territories or all over the world, Yusov said that "we are talking about the work of the GUR".
"Today, Russia is our No. 1 enemy. But if we are talking about the work of the GUR, it somehow involves activities and interaction with many states around the world," he said.
As to whether Shaman will focus on eliminating Russian officers and whether there will be other categories, Yusov said that "all war criminals and traitors must be punished". First and foremost, Yusov stressed, we are talking about punishment within the framework of current Ukrainian legislation and international law.
"Each such criminal may not wait and surrender to Ukrainian justice or in another state where the jurisdiction of an international tribunal extends. Otherwise, they put themselves in danger. Since 2014, we have seen that a large number of occupiers, war criminals and traitors have not waited for the tribunal," he added.
When asked whether Shaman will punish former Ukrainian officials, such as former President Viktor Yanukovych, former Prosecutor-General Viktor Pshonka, former Interior Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko, and former First Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov, Yusov said that "we are talking about fair responsibility, including for traitors".
"If they are involved in war crimes, they should not feel calm. I don't think it's worth making separate announcements," he said.
Earlier, The Times reported that members of the Shaman elite battalion have been raiding infrastructure in the Russian rear for several years, and that they are on a new mission to kill high-ranking Russian officers.
Commenting on the article, the GUR said that its units are working effectively not only on the front line but also behind it.