‘I Am Target Number One’: Zelensky Says Russia Hunting Him, Wife, Children

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, 44, who appeared to be speaking from a bunker, addressed his nation, asserting that he is “target number one” and his wife and two children are “target number two” for Russian troops.

Zelensky’s wife Olena, 44, and his daughter Aleksandra, 17, and son Kiril, 9, are with him.

“I know that a lot of misinformation and rumors are being spread now,” Zelensky stated. “In particular, it is claimed that I have left Kyiv. I remain in the capital; I am staying with my people. My family is not a traitor, but a citizen of Ukraine. According to our information, the enemy marked me as the number one target. My family is the number two goal. They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the Head of State. We have information that enemy sabotage groups have entered Kyiv. … I am staying in the government quarter together with others.”

Chechen “kill squads” have been reported in Ukraine. “The kill squad was allegedly in a Ukrainian forest, with each soldier reportedly given a special ‘deck of cards’ with Ukrainian officials’ photos and descriptions, a Moscow Telegram channel that has links to the security establishment reported,” The Daily Mail wrote, adding, “State TV in Chechnya reported that Ramzan Kadyrov, the republic’s leader and a close Putin ally, had visited his forces in Ukraine. The Chechens are believed to be from the South battalion of the Federal Guard Service, based in Chechnya.”