It is hard not to think about the fact that the largest country in the world by area has invaded its neighbour – with airstrikes, troops, missiles and now nuclear threats. Issues are of course complex but the fact that Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of another sovereign country is incontrovertible. Right now, public perception is undeniably in favour of the invaded Ukraine and its very interesting leader – Volodymyr Zelenskyy – a standup comic and the winner of the Ukrainian version of Dancing with the Stars.
Right now, Putin is seen as the aggressor and Zelenskyy as the brave face of the resistance; a leader leading from the front.
As people all over the world see it, Putin's actions are impacting the lives of regular people – who didn’t ask for the war, danger, uncertainty that has been thrust upon them.
On the one had there is the narrative that Zelenskyy has let his NATO ambitions and proximity to the Americans endanger his people.
On the other is the narrative of a brave leader and a charming guy staring down a despot.
The man used to be a standup comic and entertainer with some great footwork. However, he found that it wasn’t enough just to satirise what was wrong in the country, so he joined politics to try and make a difference.
On the one hand, we have Putin – a dour despot who thinks nothing of changing his country’s constitution to continue indefinitely in power, a known homophobe and a cruel invader. On the other is this guy – not difficult to see who’s more popular and why.
This post has suddenly gone viral – a disputed story that has become a part of Putin’s carefully constructed hagiography.
Then we have this origin story – which is also interesting because it clearly disputes one of the excuses given by Putin for his invasion of Ukraine: a supposed attempt to unseat a neo-Nazi regime.
Not only is he an entertainer, he seems to be a savvy politician who has been working public perception for a while, it would seem.
#Zelenskiy was quoted as saying this “Our soldiers are not fighting for money, but for our "today" and "tomorrow",”
He was offered evacuation but chose to stay and fight, for which he has the respect of netizens all over the world. He’s being hailed as a hero in his own country and the world over.
So far, sympathy and support has largely been with Ukraine and their unusual leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Maybe Putin didn’t factor in the popularity and sheer likability of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Seeing antiwar protests in his own country and all over the world, he has upped the ante with a clearly issued nuclear threat. Zelenskyy has agreed to talks with Russian representatives on the border of Ukraine and Belarus – the world is watching with bated breath to see what happens next.
Do you have something interesting you would like to share? Write to us at [email protected]
