Serhiy Shefir, chief aide, close friend of President Volodymyr Zelensky and also owner of production company Kvartal 95, became the target of an assassination attempt yesterday. More than 10 bullets hit the car property of Kvartal 95 outside of Kyiv. Shefir was unhurt but his driver was taken to hospital. He credited his driver’s decision not to stop – despite being hit in the leg by several bullets – with saving both of their lives.

“I’ll tell you honestly, I don’t know who’s behind this . . . Which forces it could be, domestic or foreign. But I don’t consider them to be [serious] forces, because saying ‘hi’ to me with gunshots from the forest at my friend’s car is weakness. But the response will be strong,” President Zelenskiy said during his visit to New York.

“It does not affect the strength of our team, the course that I have chosen with my team – to change, to clean up our economy, to fight crime and big, influential financial groups . . . On the contrary – because the Ukrainian people have given me a mandate for changes,” he added.

Members of Zelenskiy’s administration said the attack was an attempt to scare him into scrapping a nascent “de-oligarchization” campaign, which he says will strip shadowy tycoons of their longstanding political power in Ukraine.

Shefir commented as well that this was attack was more a warning to the President than an attempt to assassinate him.

Shefir and Zelensky founded Kvartal 95 in the early 90’s. Upon becoming President, Zelensky transferred his shares in the company to Shefir and his brother Boris.