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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a “day of unity” for February 16, the date that US intelligence reportedly cited for a potential Russian invasion. In a video statement released on Monday, Zelensky also called on Ukraine’s business and political elite to remain in the country, saying it was their “direct duty in such a situation to be with us, with the Ukrainian people.” According to recent local reports, a number of well-heeled Ukrainians have left the country via chartered flights and private jets. “Return to your people and to your country, which was the source of your factories and fortunes,” Zelensky said. According to media reports, American officials, including President Joe Biden, told allies late last week that an invasion of Ukraine by Russia could begin from February 16. “We have been told that February 16 will be the day of the attack, but we will make it the day of unity,” Zelensky said in his video address on Monday. Aides to the president later clarified that Zelensky was referencing those press reports rather than confirming the date itself. US officials now estimate that Russia has massed more than 130,000 troops near the border with Ukraine, both within Russia and also in Belarus. United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced on Monday that State Department was in the process of “temporarily relocating” the American embassy in Kyiv to the western city of Lviv “due to the dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces.” Credit: Volodymyr Zelenskiy via Storyful
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