NATO Secretary General said he went to sleep on night of 24 February, knowing about Russia's plans

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, says he went to sleep on the eve of 24 February 2022, knowing full well the invasion would be unleashed within hours.

Source: Stoltenberg in the interview with AFP

Quote: "I went to bed. But it was a very short night because I knew that at some stage, within hours, someone was going to wake me up – and that was exactly what happened," Stoltenberg said.

"Around four o'clock, I was called by my chief of staff, and he just briefly told me that they have started, meaning the invasion has started. No surprise because we knew [that Russia would invade – ed.]," Stoltenberg added. 

Details: While many around the world held out hope until the end that Moscow would not risk a full-scale assault, there was no doubt for the NATO Secretary General that Putin was set to move.

Quote: "It's possible to be shocked by the brutality of the war. But there's no way to be surprised because this was really something that was predicted months ahead of the invasion," he said.

Background: Earlier, during a meeting of the defence ministers of the Alliance, Stoltenberg said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is starting new offensive actions instead of being ready for peace in Ukraine. 

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