Following reports from an American official on Saturday, it was stated that the U.S. and its allies are preparing to support a prolonged battle in the Ukrainian capital should it fall, with plans for a new Ukrainian government potentially based in Poland. Other reports indicated that allies are searching to secure a successor for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the event of his assassination.
President Zelensky has refused to relocate to the western city of Lviv despite the advance of Russian forces, which are now at the gates of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, according to a report from the American newspaper "The New York Times." With the recent developments on the ground, the U.S. and Ukraine's allies have started discussing alternatives for the Ukrainian president should Russian forces reach him and assassinate him.
**Post-Kyiv Fall Phase!**
These developments follow an American official's announcement that the U.S. and its allies are now preparing for the phase after the potential fall of the Ukrainian capital. Furthermore, allies of Ukraine are planning to launch street warfare operations against Russia in Kyiv, confirming they are supplying her with arms and equipment suitable for this type of warfare. It was also noted that the weapons provided by the U.S. to Ukraine will be crucial in the street warfare phase, according to the American newspaper "The Washington Post." It was emphasized that the possible Russian control of Kyiv has alarmed the Pentagon and U.S. agencies, suggesting that the West is preparing for a "government in exile" for Ukraine. Poland may serve as a temporary base for the Ukrainian government if Kyiv falls.
The U.S. and its allies are preparing for the phase following the fall of the Ukrainian capital amid recent developments, while President Zelensky has until now refused to move to the western city of Lviv.
**Three Failed Assassination Attempts on Zelensky**
It is noteworthy that President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently affirmed since the onset of the Russian military operation in his country that Russian forces are seeking his head. He has declared multiple times that he and his family are among the primary targets for Russian elimination, a claim that Moscow has entirely denied. However, informed sources claimed last Friday that the president, hiding in a shelter in Kyiv, survived at least three assassination attempts in the past week.
These sources clarified that different groups were sent over the past days to kill Zelensky, consisting of fighters from the notorious Russian Wagner Group and Chechen special forces, according to the British newspaper "The Times" on Friday. It was also indicated that the operations were thwarted by anti-war elements within the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). Additionally, it was reported that Wagner Group members currently operating in Kyiv were surprised and dismayed by the leakage of details about their movements, with a source close to the group describing the awareness of Zelensky's security team as "terrifying."
**Chechen Armed Soldiers**
Moreover, Ukrainian security forces reported last Saturday that they thwarted an assassination attempt on Zelensky in the suburbs of Kyiv, stating that a team of Chechen militants was "neutralized" before reaching the president. Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, explained to Ukrainian television channels that Russian spies informed him of the planned assassination. Since the onset of the Russian military operation on February 24, Kyiv has accused Moscow of involving "extremist" mercenaries and Chechen fighters in the war, claiming that it aims to occupy the capital and target the Ukrainian president.
