'Assassinate' Zelensky: Putin's Top Ally Makes Shocking Demand of Trump as War Fears Soar

Dmitry Medvedev has ignited fresh alarm over the Ukraine war after suggesting Donald Trump should enlist America's top defence and intelligence officials to deal with Volodymyr Zelensky, dismissing the method and location as irrelevant in a chilling post that has been interpreted as an appeal for the Ukrainian president's assassination.

The former Russian president, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, claimed Zelensky was damaging Trump's interests more than the American leader's disputes with Venezuela, Cuba and Iran. His incendiary language has raised questions about whether Moscow's hardliners are trying to exploit tensions between Washington and Kyiv as the war continues.

Medvedev did not explicitly use the word 'assassinate'. But his reference to the US secretary of war and CIA director, coupled with his insistence that the 'how, where, and by what means are irrelevant', has fuelled the explosive interpretation.

Medvedev's 'Unfortunate Little Problem' Remark

In a post published on the pro-Kremlin social media platform Max, Medvedev invoked American history as he addressed Trump directly.

'American history itself offers a solution,' he wrote, suggesting the US president summon the secretary of war and CIA director and tell them to take care of this 'unfortunate little problem'.

He followed the remark with a line that intensified the alarm: 'The how, where, and by what means are irrelevant.'

The comments were reported by The Daily Beast and other media outlets as a disturbing implication that Trump should have Zelensky killed. No evidence has emerged in the reports reviewed that the US president has acted on the suggestion, or that it represents a formal Kremlin order.

Medvedev is no fringe commentator without a government past. He served as Russia's president from 2008 to 2012 and prime minister from 2012 to 2020, and remains a senior figure in the country's security establishment.

Putin Ally Launches Vicious Attack on Zelensky

Medvedev attempted to frame the Ukrainian leader as a personal adversary of Trump, accusing him of demanding American money and weapons, turning Western leaders against the US president and rejecting proposals to negotiate an end to the conflict.

He also alleged that Zelensky's conduct had pushed the United States and NATO towards a global nuclear confrontation with Russia. Those accusations were presented as Medvedev's claims, rather than independently established findings.

The Russian official's language grew even more personal. He described Zelensky as a 'fat green fly' and a 'festering green parasite', while accusing him of treating Trump with contempt.

The barrage appeared designed to cast Ukraine's president as an obstacle to Trump's priorities, with Medvedev arguing that Zelensky was causing greater damage to the US leader's interests than several other international disputes combined.

Yet Medvedev's rhetoric does not establish that Washington shares his view, or that the US administration intends to take action against Zelensky.

Has Trump Responded to Medvedev's Demand?

As of writing, the reports reviewed do not establish a direct response from Trump to Medvedev's specific remarks.

The Daily Beast said it had contacted the White House for comment. A confirmed response was not available in the material reviewed, so it would be premature to suggest Trump had accepted, rejected, or acted on Medvedev's suggestion.

The lack of a verified response leaves a striking question hanging over the episode: will the White House address a senior Russian security official's extraordinary remarks, or leave them unanswered?

Russian Defence Plant Reportedly Hit as Tensions Soar

The controversy unfolded alongside reports of a strike on an industrial zone in Yelets, in Russia's Lipetsk region, on 25 October.

Regional governor Igor Artamonov confirmed an attack on the industrial zone, saying emergency services were at the scene. Ukrainian open-source monitoring group Exilenova+ and several media outlets reported that the Energiya plant had been hit.

The facility manufactures batteries and electrochemical power sources used in Russian military equipment, including components associated with missile and air-defence systems. Exilenova+ reported that Storm Shadow cruise missiles were likely involved, but the governor's public statement did not confirm the plant as the target or identify the weapon used.

The full extent of the damage and any impact on production could not be independently established from the reports reviewed.

Medvedev's remarks and the reported strike add to an already combustible atmosphere around the war. But while his words have been widely interpreted as a call for Zelensky's assassination, the available reporting does not establish a formal Kremlin order or any action by the Trump administration.