How Russia marked me as target No. 1 – Ukraine’s president says, bans men from leaving country

 

Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelensky says he has been marked for death by Russian forces.

Speaking via a video statement,  Zelensky said that Russian special forces stormed the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv and have earmarked him to be killed by all means possible.

In a video statement late Thursday, February 24, Zelensky, clad in military camouflage said: “According to our information, the enemy marked me as target No. 1, my family, as target No. 2. They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state. We have information that enemy sabotage groups have entered Kyiv.”

He added: “I am staying in the government quarter together with others.”

He also announced that Ukrainian males aged 18-60 are banned from leaving the country, in order to support the country militarily against Russian attacks as he orders a general military mobilization.

In a declaration signed late Thursday, Zelensky said that “in order to ensure the defense of the state, maintaining combat and mobilization readiness of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations, a broad-based mobilization was ordered, including in the capital, Kyiv and all Ukraine’s major cities.”

“Mobilization shall be carried out within 90 days from the date of entry into force of this Decree,” the announcement said.

The mobilization also instructed “the Security Service of Ukraine to take counterintelligence measures during the general mobilization.”

It ordered the “conscription of conscripts, reservists for military service, their delivery to military units and institutions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine” and other state security services.

“In particular, it is forbidden for men aged 18-60, Ukraine citizens, to leave the borders of Ukraine,” the statement said. “This regulation will remain in effect for the period of the legal regime of martial law. We ask the citizens to take this information into consideration.”

His message comes after Russia’s assault before dawn on Thursday with a series of missile attacks against locations near Kyiv and the use of long-range artillery against the city of Kharkiv, near the Russian border.

It quickly spread across central and eastern Ukraine as Russian forces attacked the country from three sides.