It seems like Putin's initial plan in last February's offensive of Ukraine was to force Zelenskyy to flee the country. That way, he could establish a more Moscow-friendly puppet government and put Ukraine back in Russia's sphere of in one swift and quick move.

However, much to the surprise of the international world, despite world leaders like Biden and Boris Johnson offering Zelenskyy an escape route out of Ukraine, he opted to stay and stand his ground.

Since then, I've been curious what would have happened both to Ukraine and internationally if he either fled Ukraine during the initial invasion or died from either an air attack or special operation.

Would the Ukrainian government have crumbled, Russian forces march into Kyiv, and Putin easily establishes his own puppet government? If he were to flee, he'd likely be regarded as Ukraine's worst president ever. Unless he sets up something like de Gaulle's Free French forces during WW2 and actively lead a guerilla campaign in Ukraine or something...Would the sanctions from the G7 and other countries been as severe as they are now?

On the flip side, what would have happened to Ukraine if Zelenskyy died during the initial invasion? He'd almost certainly would be considered a martyr. Would there have been a guerilla insurrection? How would the world respond?

What would have been NATO's response to either situation? It makes for an interesting "what if", since it's so recent and either scenario would have radically changed the war.

I'd love to hear what others think would have happened in either or both scenarios.