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Had Russians Reached Kyiv, 'I Know How to Shoot,' Zelenskyy Says


Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sings a national anthem during a commemorative ceremony for Ukrainian servicemen killed in battle for the village of Moshchun in Ukraine, March 21, 2023. (Photo from Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sings a national anthem during a commemorative ceremony for Ukrainian servicemen killed in battle for the village of Moshchun in Ukraine, March 21, 2023. (Photo from Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy carries a pistol and would have fought to the death with his inner circle had the Russians stormed his Kyiv headquarters at the start of the war, he said in an interview shown on Saturday.

"I know how to shoot. Could you imagine (a headline like) 'The President of Ukraine is taken captive by Russians?' This is a disgrace. I believe this would be a disgrace," he told the 1+1 television channel.

In the first days after the February 24, 2022, invasion, Ukrainian officials said Russian intelligence units tried to break into Kyiv but were defeated and failed to reach Bankova Street in the city center, home to the presidential offices.

Other Russian units launched an attack on the outskirts of Kyiv but were unable to advance. Officials also reported several unsuccessful sabotage attempts inside the city.

"I think if they had gone inside, into the administration, we would not be here," Zelenskyy said. It was not clear which Russian units he was referring to.

"No one would have been taken prisoner because we had a very seriously prepared defense of Bankova Street. We would have been there to the last," he said.

Asked whether he carried a pistol and practiced using it, he replied that he did, while dismissing a suggestion he might have used it to kill himself rather than be captured.

"No, no, no. It's not (to shoot) myself. To shoot back, surely," he said.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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