Zelenskiy leaves Russia-besieged Kiev: Reports

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had left the capital Kiev for Lvov, a Russian top official claimed, contradicting the leader’s claim of staying put.

Russian State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin claimed Saturday that Zelensky departed the Ukrainian capital yesterday.

“Zelensky hastily left Kiev. He was not in the capital of Ukraine yesterday.

“Together with his entourage, he fled to the city of Lvov, where he and his assistants were equipped with a place to live,” Volodin wrote in his Telegram channel.

Volodin also noted that all the videos that Zelensky publishes on social networks were recorded in advance.

According to him, information about Zelensky’s departure to Lvov came from deputies of the Rada, Ukraine’s legislature.

But in a contradictory report, the AP reported that Zelenskiy rejected America’s advice to evacuate Kyiv.

Zelenskiy said in response: “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,” according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation, who described Zelenskiy as upbeat.

On 24 February, Russia began an invasion of Ukraine, claiming it was responding to calls from the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics for help in countering the aggression of Ukrainian forces.