Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he and his family are targets "number one and two" for Russian hit squads and that Putin wants "to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state".
President Zelenskyy was addressing his people from the relative safety of a secret bunker on day two of a conflict that has tragically claimed the lives of 137 Ukrainians.
Things look bleak for Zelenskyy who was watched the capital city of Kyiv be devastated with missiles overnight and with reports of fighting on the outskirts of the city, many fear it could fall within days.
It is reported Chechen "hunters" have been sent a list of Ukrainian officials to capture or kill.
Speaking in a televised address, Zelenskyy criticised the country's Western allies who he said were not doing enough.
He said: "We have been left alone to defend our state. Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don’t see anyone."
“Who is ready to give Ukraine a guarantee of NATO membership? Everyone is afraid.
"They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state."
It's thought that Zelenskyy is being sheltered with his wife Olena, 44, and two children Oleksandra, 18, and Kyrylo, 9.
A former comedian, Zelenskyy only became the President of Ukraine four years ago and starred in a TV show where a history teacher accidentally became the President.
However, the joke appears to be over, with the embattled President now claiming that he and his family are “target number one and number two".
"My family is not a traitor, but a citizen of Ukraine,' he said, adding that he would not reveal their location.
"According to our information, the enemy marked me as the number one target. My family is the number two goal.
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"They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state."
In a show of defiance Zelenskyy has said the people of Ukraine are not afraid of the task that stands before them and have called for NATO to protect them.
He said: "I asked the 27 leaders of Europe whether Ukraine should be in Nato. I asked directly. They are all afraid.
"We are not afraid."
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