Democracy Dies in Darkness

U.S. stands ready to evacuate Zelensky, Russia’s

‘target No. 1’
Listen to article 4 min

By Shane Harris, Ellen Francis and Robyn Dixon

February 25, 2022 | Updated February 25, 2022 at 5:59

p.m. EST

The U.S. government is prepared to help Ukrainian

President Volodymyr Zelensky leave Kyiv to avoid
being captured or killed by advancing Russian forces,
according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials. But so far,
the president has refused to go.

As the Russian military ratcheted up its attacks on

Friday, a defiant Zelensky pledged to remain in charge
of his government despite grave personal risk.
“According to the information we have, the enemy has
marked me as target No. 1, my family as target No. 2,”
he told Ukrainians in an early-morning address. “They
want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the
head of state.”

For weeks, Zelensky has heard those warnings from

U.S. officials.

When CIA Director William J. Burns flew to Ukraine in

January to meet with Zelensky about the growing
Russian threat to his country, the Ukrainian president
asked whether he or his family were personally in
danger, according to a Zelensky aide, who said that the
leader was skeptical the Russians would try to kill him.
Burns didn’t share specific information but made clear
that Zelensky needed to take his personal security
seriously, the aide said.

The CIA declined to comment.

At the time, intelligence suggested that Russian hit

teams might already be in Kyiv, well before the first
forces ever crossed the border, according to officials
familiar with the information who, like others, spoke
on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive
material.

U.S. officials in recent days have spoken to Zelensky

about a variety of security issues, including the safest
places for the president to situate himself to ensure
continuity of the Ukrainian government, said a senior
U.S. official.

“We have been making him aware not only of the

threat of Russian invasion, now a reality, but also the
threat to him personally,” Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-
Calif), the chairman of the House Intelligence
Committee, said. “We stand ready to assist him in any
way.”

Removing Zelensky might offer Russian President

Vladimir Putin the swiftest way to end the war in
Ukraine or avoid a protracted, costly occupation,
several current and former national security officials
said this week.

With the Ukrainian leader out of the picture, Putin

could try to install a puppet replacement.

In January, the British government accused the

Kremlin of scheming to replace Zelensky with a pro-
Russian politician and former member of Ukraine’s
parliament.

Schiff said he worried that if the Russians captured

Zelensky, they could hold him incommunicado or force
him to make concessions.

“I’m deeply concerned with the threat to his life and

well being,” Schiff said.
As the Biden administration and Western allies warned
an invasion was coming, Zelensky publicly downplayed
the threat. He and his aides acknowledged that Putin
might order the forces massing in huge numbers on
Ukraine’s borders to strike, but they said U.S. and
other European leaders also risked igniting a public
panic and economic catastrophe with their constant
warnings of an imminent attack.

Now that Russia has struck, U.S. officials warned again

this week that Putin’s goal was to decapitate the
Ukrainian government. White House press secretary
Jen Psaki indicated to reporters on Thursday that the
United States had plans to assist Zelensky if he were
personally threatened.

“We’re not going to get into security — security

questions, but we are in touch with President Zelensky,
and we are working to provide him a range of support,”
Psaki said.

According to a Ukrainian official, Zelensky has not

directed his own security services to remove him to a
safe city, such as Lviv, although they stand ready to do
so.

Fending off rumors that he had fled, Zelensky posted a

video on Telegram on Friday surrounded by his top
advisers and the prime minister in front of Bankova,
Ukraine’s equivalent to the White House.

“We are all here. Defending our independence. Our

country. And so it will continue,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky noted in his earlier remarks that his family

remained in Ukraine, as well, but he declined to say
where.

He also said that “sabotage groups” had infiltrated

Kyiv, without saying whether they were targeting him
personally.

Later, Zelensky’s administration said in a public

statement that “enemy reconnaissance and sabotage
groups operate insidiously, disguising themselves in
civilian clothes and infiltrating cities to destabilize the
situation by carrying out sabotage operations.”
Some officials praised the Ukrainian leader for staying
in place despite the risk to himself and his government
and the warnings he has received.

“The U.S. has been very forward-leaning both in

sharing threat information with the government of
Ukraine, including President Zelensky, as well as
declassifying a significant amount of intelligence to
ensure that the world knew about Russia’s plans for
this unprovoked aggression,” said Sen. Mark R.
Warner (D-Va.), the chair of the Senate Intelligence
Committee. “President Zelensky has courageously
decided to stay and lead from Kyiv.”

Paul Sonne and John Hudson in Washington and

David L. Stern in Lviv, Ukraine, contributed to this
report.

War in Ukraine: What you need to

know
The latest: A massive Russian convoy near Kyiv has
stalled but forces are closing in on Kharkiv. Russian and
Ukrainian delegations held Kve hours of inconclusive
talks near the Belarus border Monday, but no
agreement has been reached.

The 0ght: The war isn’t working out the way Russia
intended as Putin is facing enormous pressure from
abroad. Kharkiv has become a key battleground.
Photos and videos show what the situation on the
ground looks.

Maps: Russia’s assault on Ukraine has been

extensive with strikes and attacks across the entire
country. We’re tracking the invasion here.

The response: The invasion of Ukraine is bringing

to an end Western investment in Russia. Companies
cut ties to comply with sanctions or to express
outrage over the invasion. Nations in Europe are
opening the door to a historic wave of refugees
Reeing Ukraine.
How we got here: The conRict playing out
between Russia and Ukraine is one marked by land
borders and shaped by strategic inRuence. These four
maps help explain the deep roots of the conRict and
where things stand right now.

How you can help: Here are ways those in the

U.S. can help support the Ukrainian people.

Read our full coverage of the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

Show more

UNDERSTANDING THE RUSSIA- HAND

UKRAINE CONFLICT CURATED

Photos and Mapping the In videos and

videos show Russian photos, how
long waits on invasion of Russia’s
both sides of … Ukraine invasion of…
border
News • Earlier News • March 1,
Ukraine 27,
February is 2022
crossings as
today 2022 unfolding on the
thousands leave ground
Ukraine
View 3 more stories