Volodymyr Zelensky has described how he came close to being captured or assassinated in the early hours of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president has led his country through the most difficult period in its modern history, gaining international praise for his composure in directing an exhausting defence of Ukraine from its much larger neighbour.

He has refused to leave Kyiv throughout the war, taking sanctuary in his presidential palace as shelling rained down on the capital city.

But the presidential compound was not always a safe space for the Ukrainian leader, as interviews with Time magazine reveal how the palace had to be turned into a fortress after the invasion began.

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Simon Shuster spent a fortnight in the compound this month and heard from Mr Zelensky how his period of wartime leadership nearly came to an end within the first few hours of the invasion.

The president said his memories of the first few hours of the war – before dawn on 24 February – were “fragmented” but certain episodes stood out.

Read more: Independent