Kyiv: The war between Ukraine and Russia has entered its tenth day and as tensions seem no sign of abating, questions have been raised about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's safety and his whereabouts. There has been intense speculation about Zelenskyy having left the war-torn country, a fact Ukraine has rejected.
On Friday (March 4), Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin had claimed that Zelenskyy has left Ukraine and is currently in Poland, reported Sputnik. “Zelensky left Ukraine. Deputies of the Verkhovna Rada said that they could not get to him in Lvov”, he wrote on his Telegram channel. “He is now in Poland”.
Several Western countries have expressed concern in regard to Zelensky’s safety. Particularly, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Paris was ready “to help him if necessary”, reported Sputnik. It was also reported that the United States offered him evacuation, but he refused.
Reports of Zelenskyy leaving the Ukrainian capital surfaced last week as well, with the president refuting them and posting several video messages in which he said he remained in Kyiv. Amidst questions about his whereabouts, the Ukrainian President continued to tweet, urging the world to take action.
Nuclear terrorism requires decisive action in response. At the #UN Security Council meeting, we called for closing the sky over UA and launching an operation to maintain peace and security. The goal is to save hazardous facilities. The world must not watch, but help!
— (@ZelenskyyUa) March 4, 2022
Earlier Ukraine President Zelenskyy had said that he is “enemy” Russia’s No. 1 target and the Russian forces are seeking to eliminate his family too. "The enemy marked me as target number one, and my family as target number two," Zelenskyy said during a televised address. Zelenskyy's statement came a day after the US told the United Nations' human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, that Russia has created a hit list of "identified Ukrainians to be killed or sent to camps."
Meanwhile, Russia has now blocked Facebook and some other websites and passed a law that gave Moscow much stronger powers to crack down on independent journalism, prompting the BBC, Bloomberg and other foreign media to suspend reporting in the country.
Bans and restrictions continue to be levied on Russia. Now, South Korean tech company Samsung has suspended product shipments to Russia "due to current geopolitical developments," joining other global giants like Apple and Microsoft who have stopped sales and services in the country after it attacked Ukraine."
(With Agency inputs)
