Newly declassified US intelligence documents have revealed chilling details about Vladimir Putin’s alleged use of assassinations to target political enemies, including critics and dissenters, during his 25 years in power.

The memorandum, released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), suggests Putin “probably authorises assassinations of high-profile figures abroad”.

It adds that Russia uses its intelligence services to target those deemed threats to Putin’s regime.

The report concludes with a “high confidence level,” based on Russian statements and findings from foreign governments where these killings occurred.

The document, obtained after years of effort by a Bloomberg journalist under a Mandatory Declassification Review, names several prominent figures believed to have been assassinated on Kremlin orders.

One of the first cited cases is the 2004 killing of Chechen separatist leader Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev in Qatar.

Russian military intelligence officers convicted of the attack were later repatriated to Russia, where they vanished from the prison system.

Among the most infamous cases is Alexander Litvinenko, a former FSB officer who died in London in 2006 after being poisoned with radioactive polonium-210.

Litvinenko, a vocal Kremlin critic, had fled to the UK and was reportedly on MI6’s payroll.

The UK inquiry into his death concluded that Putin had “probably approved” the assassination.

The report also revisits the mysterious death of Alexander Perepilichnyy, a Russian businessman who collapsed in Surrey in 2012.

He had been set to testify about a Kremlin-linked tax fraud network. US intelligence now claims he was “reportedly assassinated with a biological toxin”.

The aslo document highlights other targets, including Oleksandr Bednov, a Ukrainian separatist leader killed in 2015 after resisting Kremlin orders.

While the declassified report sheds light on specific cases, it also points to dozens of mysterious deaths tied to Putin’s regime.

High-profile figures like opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who reportedly died in Russian custody, and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner Group leader killed in a 2023 plane crash, are just some examples of individuals believed to have been silenced.

The full list of “assassination targets” is below:

Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev (2004)

Role: Former head of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.

Cause: Assassinated in Qatar by Russian GRU officers.

Alexander Litvinenko (2006)

Role: Former FSB officer and Kremlin critic.

Cause: Poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 in London.

Alexander Perepilichnyy (2012)

Role: Russian businessman.

Cause: Allegedly poisoned with a biological toxin in the UK shortly before testifying about Kremlin-linked tax fraud.

Alexander Bednov (2015)

Role: Ukrainian separatist leader critical of the Kremlin.

Cause: Killed on Kremlin orders in Ukraine‘s Donbas region.

Alexei Navalny (2023)

Role: Putin’s most prominent political opponent.

Cause: Allegedly killed in the Polar Wolf jail in the Russian Arctic after being forced to spend hours in freezing conditions.

Yevgeny Prigozhin (2023)

Role: Wagner Group leader and former Putin ally.

Cause: Died in a private jet crash following his rebellion against the Kremlin.

Alexei Zimin (2023)

Role: Russian TV chef and Putin critic.

Cause: Found dead in a Belgrade hotel under unclear circumstances.

Vladimir Egorov (2023)

Role: Wealthy Russian politician and ally of Putin.

Cause: Fell from a third-floor window in Moscow.

Anna Tsareva (2023)

Role: Deputy editor of a Kremlin propaganda newspaper.

Cause: Found dead in her Moscow home, nearly a year after the death of her boss, Vladimir Sungorkin.

Marina Yankina (2023)

Role: Top Russian defence official and head of financial support for the Ministry of Defence’s Western Military District.

Cause: Fell 160ft to her death in St Petersburg.

Zoya Konovalova (2023)

Role: Chief editor of a state-run TV channel near Ukraine’s frontlines.

Cause: Found dead alongside her ex-husband, suspected poisoning.