Russia-Ukraine war: Ukrainians have 'plans in place' if Zelenskyy is killed, says US

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken complimented the Ukrainian President and his government for their 'leadership' through this crisis.

File Photo (Reuters)

New Delhi: Amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday (March 6, 2022) said that the Ukrainians have 'plans in place' if President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is killed.

During an interview with an American channel, Blinken said, "The Ukrainians have plans in place that I’m not going to talk about or get into any detail about to make sure that there is continuity of government one way or another, and I’m going to leave it at that.

He complimented Zelenskyy and his government for their 'leadership' through this crisis.

"The leadership that President Zelensky has shown, the entire government has shown is remarkable, they’ve been the embodiment of these incredibly brave Ukrainian people," the US Secretary of State said.

According to various reports, more than 400 specially trained Russian mercenaries have been flown in from Africa to assassinate Zelenskyy. A private militia, known as the Wagner Group, allegedly has orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin to take out Zelenskyy - and 23 other government figures - to allow Moscow to take over its eastern European neighbour.

They were said to be waiting for a green light from the Kremlin to pounce, with their hit list also including Ukraine`s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the entire cabinet, mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko and his brother Wladimir - both boxing champions who have become iconic figures on the front lines of the capital.

Meanwhile, Russia's invasion has sent more than 1.5 million Ukrainians fleeing abroad and has triggered sweeping Western-led sanctions aimed at crippling the Russian economy.

The civilian death toll from hostilities across Ukraine since Moscow launched its invasion on February 24 stood at 364, including more than 20 children, the United Nations said on Sunday, adding that hundreds more were injured.

(With agency inputs)