Becoming a comic hero, Vladimir Zelensky has survived at least three precision assassination attempts by elite squads since the start of Russian War Week, according to Ukrainian officials, who say his survival was thanks to signals from Russian spies.
Both Kremlin-funded mercenaries from the Wagner group and Chechen leader Ramzan Ahmadovich Kadyrov’s assassination teams are said to have tried to assassinate the Ukrainian president, who is hiding in various bunkers deep below the capital Kyiv, according to the Washington Post. Wagner’s mercenaries, led by Yevgeny Prigogine, also known as “Putin’s cook,” reportedly have a list of 24 names killed, including Zelensky, but were detained by a stranded military convoy outside Kyiv, making it difficult for Russian special forces to secure a way to escape, according to the London Times.
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The head of Ukraine’s national security, Alexei Danilov, told a Ukrainian television network that double agents from Russia’s Federal Security Service or the FSB had warned them about the attempts. “I can say that we have received information from the FSB, who do not want to take part in this bloody war,” Danilov said. “And thanks to that, Kadyrov’s elite group, which came here to eliminate our president, was destroyed.
Yet as President Putin’s brutal battle raged, Zelensky’s stoic resistance elevated him to cult status, no doubt angering Putin, whose inferiority complex seems to be heading for psychosis. Now Zelensky is even asking Putin to meet face to face – which may seem like a death wish – but which is unlikely to happen. “I don’t bite,” Zelensky said in a statement to Putin. “What are you afraid of?”
Early Friday morning, as Europe’s largest nuclear power plant glowed under a Russian attack that turned into an occupation, Zelensky made an emotional request in a video statement accusing Russia of getting closer to nuclear war. “If there is an explosion, it is the end for everyone. The end for Europe. The evacuation of Europe, “he said as world leaders reacted with shock and horror. “Only urgent action by Europe can stop Russian troops. Do not allow Europe to die from a nuclear power plant accident. “
Zelensky added: “No country, except Russia, has ever fired at nuclear units. This is the first time in our history. In the history of mankind. “The terrorist state is now resorting to nuclear terror,” he said. “Russian tanks knew they were firing direct fire at the station. Instead, the Russian military claims that Ukrainian forces guarding the plant fired first, provoking retaliatory fire.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has condemned the attack on the nuclear power plant. “It only demonstrates the recklessness of this war and the importance of ending it, and the importance of Russia withdrawing all its troops and engaging in good faith in diplomatic efforts,” he said Friday morning as leaders called for an emergency meeting in response to the latest wave. of aggression.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry has warned that if the Zaporozhye plant melts, it will be ten times bigger than the Chernobyl disaster, which is considered the worst nuclear disaster in history.
As fighting raged across the country, Ukraine’s culture minister ordered workers to pack statues and try to fortify ancient basilicas in Kyiv and Lviv as they prepared for more rockets. “Russian missiles and planes are deliberately destroying the historic centers of big cities. “Putin wants to destroy Europe’s heritage and culture, to wipe it off the face of the earth,” the culture ministry said in a statement on Friday. “A mad dictator threatens to destroy St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, a UNESCO church built in the 11th century.”
A fierce battle is also taking place in the strategic port city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine on Friday, with constant bombardment as Russian troops surround the city. In Zhytomyr in the north, a school was destroyed by a rocket, which led to the collapse, according to CNN.
NATO continues to oppose Zelensky’s demands for a no-fly zone over the country, worried that the downing of Russian planes to force it will only give Putin more reason to attack, potentially respond with Russia’s nuclear arsenal . “NATO will defend all its allies and territory against a Russian attack,” said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Friday. “Our union is a defense union. We are not looking for conflict. But if a conflict comes, we are ready for it and we will protect every inch of NATO territory. Ukraine, of course, is not yet part of this territory.
Thursday’s talks led to Russia promising a limited humanitarian corridor to deliver supplies and civilians, but Zelensky on Friday expressed little confidence that Russia would end the deal. “Today we will see if the agreement works,” Zelenski said, clearly unconvinced.