“BATTLE-hardened Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has shrugged off repeated Russian attempts to assassinate him as no worse than a bout of Covid”,
The Sun reports, siting interview with Ukrainian leader.
Zelensky said at least “five or sixplots to kill him had been foiled by Ukraine’s intelligence services”. He said his people were tired of “permanent air raids”, tired of being shelled, tired of having their homes destroyed and their loved ones killed. Zelensky admitted he had lost track of all the attempts to kill him since February 24 last year.
He even knows the codename of their latest mission to oust him and its deadline is the end of the year.
The leader said: “The name of operation is Maidan 3. It is meant to change the president. It’s bye bye. Maybe it’s not by killing. I mean it’s changing. They will use any instruments they have”.
Mr Zelensky ruled out holding elections that had been due to take place next year, insisting it was illegal under martial law, impossible because of the war and would divide the country when people were focused on fighting Russia.
Troops in a major counter- offensive advanced only ten miles in five months.
He acknowledged the lack of progress had discouraged some allies who doubt if Ukraine can expel Russian forces.
And he admitted: “We need more successful results on the battlefield.” But he denied his top general’s claims that the war had reached a stalemate.
A series of missile and drone strikes on Russian warships forced Putin to withdraw his Black Sea fleet eastwards, allowing Ukraine to open a grain export corridor that hugs the sea’s western shore.
Mr Zelensky said: “We really destroyed part of the Russian fleet.
