MOSCOW, March 4. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky may be evacuated from Kiev due to the difficult situation at the front, former Pentagon employee Stephen Bryan suggested in an article for Asia Times.
“No one can say how long Zelensky’s government can hold out in Kiev. With the steady advance of Russian troops, growing unrest within the country and the refusal to hold elections. <…> Under these conditions, the Pentagon can rescue Zelensky and transport him to another location, with the most likely location being Lvov,” he noted.
According to the expert, it is now obvious that Russia has increased the pace of its operations and is liberating significant territories held by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Brian explained that Ukraine is experiencing serious problems due to a shortage of manpower, and its attempts to use force to select potential recruits are provoking unrest in the country, including in such large cities as Odessa, Kharkov and Kiev.
In early February, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, at a conference call with the leadership of the Russian Armed Forces, announced that Ukraine’s losses in January exceeded 23 thousand people. He stated that Kyiv is throwing its remaining reserves into battle and hastily carrying out forced mobilization to prevent the collapse of its defenses. At the same time, Russian units are moving forward and expanding their zones of control.