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Zelensky’s aide says attack against him aimed at frightening Ukrainian authorities

Sergey Shefir does not think conflicts inside the Ukrainian president’s team are the cause of the attack

KIEV, September 22. /TASS/. First aide of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, Sergey Shefir, whose car came under fire on Wednesday near Kiev, is not aware of the reasons for attacking him, but believes that the attack was aimed at frightening the country’s "top echelons of power."

"I can say that, as the saying goes, I do not understand the reasons," Shefir told a briefing on Wednesday, adding that he believes the crime was aimed at Ukraine’s central power structure. "The attack was aimed at frightening the top echelons of power," he noted.

Shefir does not think conflicts inside the Ukrainian president’s team are the cause of the attack. "There are no conflicts inside the team," he said.

The president’s aide also noted that it is not possible to frighten the country’s leadership this way. "President Vladimir A. [Zelensky] is a strong-willed person, he can hardly be frightened. He has chosen a correct path, he is going his way, the people support him," he said.

Investigation of the incident

According to the Ukraina-24 TV channel, about 18 bullets were fired at Ukrainian Presidential Aide Sergey Shefir's car, Kiev Regional Prosecutor Alexei Khomenko told reporters at the scene.

It has been established that Shefir's car was headed to the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, Khomenko noted. "Halfway between the Khodosevka and Lesniki settlements, about 18 bullets were fired at the car from an automatic weapon, judging by an examination of the vehicle," he specified.

"Sergey Shefir was not hurt in the attack but his driver suffered wounds though medical workers say that his life is not in danger," the prosecutor added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Ukrainian Presidential Aide Sergey Shefir's car came under fire outside Kiev. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry launched a search for attackers. The country's Prosecutor General Irina Venedilktova, in turn, said that a criminal case had been opened into "the attempted murder of two or more persons."

Shefir is said to be a long-time friend of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. According to media reports, Shefir is responsible for the head of state's daily schedule.

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