The UK Times is reporting on Monday, “more than 400 Russian mercenaries are operating in Kyiv with orders from the Kremlin to assassinate President Zelenskyy and his government and prepare the ground for Moscow to take control.”

Additional takeaways

“The Wagner Group, a private militia run by one of President Putin’s closest allies and operating as an arm-length branch of the state, flew in mercenaries from Africa five weeks ago on a mission to decapitate Zelensky’s government in return for a handsome financial bonus.”

“Information about their mission reached the Ukrainian government on Saturday morning and hours later Kyiv declared a 36-hour “hard” curfew to sweep the city for Russian saboteurs, warning civilians that they would be seen as Kremlin agents and risked being “liquidated” if they stepped outside.”

Market reaction

Investors remain on the edge, digesting these above headlines, as the appetite for riskier assets is absent while the US dollar emerges as a clear winner.

• Asian shares under pressure as Ukraine crisis tensions mount