Volodymyr Alexander Zelinsky

He acknowledged that Ukraine was surrounded by about 200,000 Russian troops and thousands of armored automobiles, all of whom had been specified permission to advance and into Ukraine. Ukraine had declared a state of unexpected emergency previously in the day and asked its nationals to flee Russia.“This action could be the start of a main war on the European continent,” Zelensky reported. “The cause could occur at any minute, any provocation, any spark — that spark could melt away down almost everything.”Even as Russia’s forces have massed at Ukraine’s border and western leaders have grown significantly frightened by Putin’s steps, Zelensky, a previous comic who built an unpredicted foray into politics, has minimized the risk of conflict with Russia.