Ukrainian President Zelensky said he escaped death or kidnapping in the early hours of the invasion. It was said that Russian paratroopers landed in Kyiv near a government post and tried to reach him and his family. Zelensky says this in an article in Time Magazine† Reporter Simon Schuster was around for two weeks this month.

When the bombing began on February 24, Zelensky, his wife, daughter (17) and son (9) prepared to flee. This did not happen. As night fell, his guards distributed flak jackets and automatic weapons to his staff. They first had to get an explanation of how the weapons worked. After that, it was said that the Russians made two attempts to break into the area where Zelensky and his family were. The sound of bullets was heard in their hiding place.

After that, Zelensky was going to refuse to go to a safe place to stay. He is also said to have refused an offer by American and British forces to evacuate him and start a government-in-exile, for example from Poland.

On the evening of February 25, from his garden, he recorded with his phone a nearly 40-second video clip traveling around the world. Then he realized his role in this war. “You’re an icon,” he told Time magazine. “You have to act the way the head of state should act.”

Zelensky’s first video after the Russian invasion: