The US government offered to evacuate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from Kyiv – however he declined.
“The fight has arrived; I want ammunition, not a ride,” Zelensky said, news revealed, refering to a senior American insight official with direct information on the conversation.
Zelensky, 44, instead chose to stay in Ukraine’s capital as Russian powers carried the fight to the city streets, where gunfire and blasts were heard for the time being Friday into Saturday.
The besieged president said his family had been evacuated to safety.
“I’m staying in the government quarters along with others,” Zelensky said in a video address from the get-go Friday. “The adversary has assigned me as target number one, and my family as target number two.”
Zelensky addressed to his countrymen again on Friday night, advising them to prepare for a short-term attack and urging unity and strength.
“The fate of Ukraine is being settled at this moment,” Zelensky said in the video. “This night will be undeniably challenging, and the foe will utilize all suitable powers to break the opposition of Ukrainians.”
“We can’t lose the capital,” he added, vehemently.
Zelensky, a previous actor and comedian, has lead a significant defense against the Russian attack up to this point, dialing back the Russian development, as per US protection authorities. Nonetheless, there is worry that could change rapidly.
Russian soldiers assaulted Kyiv from a few headings, circling the city of around 2.8 million.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces said “dynamic battle” was occurring in Kyiv, as Russian powers attempted to push toward the downtown area and confronted weighty opposition from Ukrainian fighters.
Many casualties have been accounted for following extraordinary fighting both inside and around the city, but the Ukrainian forces seemed to have clutched the capital as of early Saturday, as indicated by authorities.
“We are stopping the crowd overall quite well, the circumstance in Kyiv is heavily influenced by the Armed Forces of Ukraine and our residents,” Security Council Secretary Danilov said on Saturday morning, as per the Kyiv Independent.
Zelensky likewise posted another video address from Kyiv on Saturday morning, in which he promised to defend his country.
“There’s a great deal of fake data online that I approach our military to set down arms, and that there’s departure,” he said, as indicated by an translation by the Kyiv Independent.