Zelensky: I will fight to the death if the Russians attack the presidential residence
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview broadcast on Saturday that he carried a gun and would have fought to the death with his inner circle if the Russians had stormed his headquarters in Kiev at the start of the war.
“I know how to shoot. Can you imagine (a news headline like) ‘Russians capture the president of Ukraine’? This is a disgrace. I think this would have been a disgrace,” he told 1+1 TV channel.
In the first days after the February 24, 2022 invasion, Ukrainian officials said that Russian intelligence units tried to storm Kiev but were defeated and failed to reach Pankova Street in the city centre, where the presidential offices are located.
Other Russian units launched an offensive on the outskirts of Kiev, but were unable to advance. Officials also reported several failed sabotage attempts inside the city.
“I think if they had managed to get into the administration, we wouldn’t be here,” Zelensky said. It was not clear which Russian units he was referring to.
“No one could have been arrested because we had a very firmly prepared defense on Pankova Street. We would have been there until the end,” he said.
When asked if he carried a gun and trained to use it, he replied that he did, while he rejected what was indicated about the possibility of using it to kill himself instead of arresting him.
