How long can he keep it up?

Every night Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers pep talks, boosting the morale of his troops against Russian invaders and trying to draw the world’s attention to the plight of his people.

This is a world record. No leader before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky managed to speak every day for a year in a row. The leader records statements in his office, in bunkers or elsewhere that chronicle the war against his country. The president’s speeches testify to how he and his country have changed since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

He has successfully lobbied the West on weapons, breaking taboo after taboo, first with the West sending military aid of all kinds, and more recently with Western supplies of tanks that could help Ukraine counterattack.

Zelenskiy, now 45 and in power since 2019, shows no signs of easing.

Nor does Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and appears to be preparing for a long war.

As Russian troops poured into the border, few predicted the transformation of Zelenskiy, a former telecomician whose trust rating has plummeted as public anger grows over widespread corruption, economic problems and mismanagement.

“If you attack, you will find us standing in front of you, we will not turn our backs,” President Zelenskiy said the last time he stood in front of the camera, clean-shaven, in a suit and tie.

On the first day of the war, February 24, Zelensky was wearing an olive shirt. This military dress code became his signature style, along with moussaki. This is how the world recognizes him now, this is how he appeared in countless interviews and on the covers of newspapers and magazines.

On the second day of the invasion, he recorded his most important and famous video. The clip shows Zelensky with the prime minister and other members of his leadership team at night near the presidential residence in Kyiv. This gave a powerful signal that everyone is still in Ukraine and ready to fight.

Initially, Zelensky made it clear that he was ready to make concessions to Russia, for example, regarding possible NATO membership. But as reports of Russian war crimes and the annexation of Ukrainian territory began to surface, Zelenskiy hardened his stance, knowing he was backed by the majority of Ukrainians.

Now he is known throughout the world as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. In Ukraine, his popularity ratings have almost tripled and are unusually stable.

Comfortable and relaxed when meeting visitors to his heavily fortified headquarters, dressed in khaki military uniforms, whether meeting members of the royal family or visiting soldiers on the front lines, Zelenskiy conjures an image of stability.

There are huge milestones in front of him. He has yet to secure supplies of the advanced Western fighter jets he says are needed to push back Russian forces or promises of early European Union membership. Joining the NATO military alliance still seems out of reach.

However, despite having a puffy face and circles under his eyes at times, there is no sign that he lost his energy when he reshuffled the government last month to stir up public outcry over a corruption scandal.

“Zelensky surprised a lot of people… They underestimated his leadership qualities,” said Volodymyr Fesenko, a Kiev-based analyst who said Putin underestimated Zelensky.

“(Putin) prepared a special operation, not a full-scale war, because he believed that Zelensky and the Ukrainian army were weak and would not be able to offer long-term resistance. It turned out to be wrong.”

“I’m here”

With the fate of Ukraine in doubt at the start of the Russian invasion, Zelenskiy filmed himself on his cell phone to declare that he and his country would fight.

“Ya tut,” he said, meaning “I’m here.”

This was the start of a social media blitz that continued throughout the war with a simple message: “We will win.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that Zelensky will flee to western Ukraine or even abroad. It is reported that Zelensky was offered help with the evacuation, but he refused.

The Associated Press later quoted Zelenskiy as saying, “I need ammo, not a trip.” Although the answer has become a legend, it is difficult to establish whether he actually said these words. But again, the message was loud and clear, drawing sympathy abroad and boosting the morale of his people.

Reuters reporters saw Ukrainian soldiers weep in trenches near the front lines as their president delivered an emotional New Year’s address.

“This year Ukraine has changed the world. And the world discovered Ukraine. We were told to give up. We chose a counterattack,” Zelensky said.

In contrast, Putin often appears withdrawn and withdrawn, threatening the West or Ukraine from the Kremlin and rarely appearing in public except at fully staged events.

Foreign leaders, dignitaries and celebrities regularly made the long train journey to Kyiv to meet Zelensky in presidential offices overlooking the Ukrainian capital. Billions of dollars of foreign aid flowed into the country’s treasury.

His aides describe an extraordinarily busy schedule that, since the invasion, has included 377 phone calls with other leaders and heads of international organizations, 41 speeches to parliaments and foreign audiences, as well as 152 meetings and dozens of other speeches.

“Not Yet Time”

A Russian-speaking Ukrainian from a Jewish family in the steel town of Krivoy Rokh, Zelensky began his career as an actor.

He rose to prominence by starring in the series Servant of the People, which struck a chord with corruption-weary Ukrainians.

In the series, he plays an honest teacher who rose to fame after a class corruption scandal went viral on the internet and becomes president by outmaneuvering dishonest legislators and businessmen.

Then in 2019, life imitated art. Zelenskiy was elected president after promising to fight corruption during a campaign based on bizarre social media posts in anticipation of his powerful online presence during the war.

In a video recorded shortly after the Russian invasion, he claimed, citing intelligence agencies, that Moscow had designated him as its number one target and his family, wife Yelena Zelenskaya and their two children, as number two.

Anton Grushetsky, deputy director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, estimated the population’s trust in Zelensky at 70-80%.

“The stability of this level of trust is unprecedented in the history of Ukraine,” he said.

His main opponents are largely excluded from the decision-making process, and some foreign diplomats privately say they are concerned about the concentration of power in the hands of his group.

The political truce remains, and Zelenskiy has been able to launch a campaign to remove suspected corrupt officials, including some of his closest associates.

Former President Petro Poroshenko, whom Zelenskiy defeated in the 2019 election, said it would be inappropriate to assess Zelenskiy’s wartime performance during the conflict.

“Since February 24, 2022, I am not the leader of the opposition, because both Zelensky and Poroshenko are military men. And all Ukrainians should unite not around individuals, but around Ukraine,” Poroshenko told Reuters.

“The world will give any assessment to the work of Zelensky and Poroshenko after our victory.”

At the moment he seems to have the support of the people.

“He stayed here, didn’t panic,” said Anton Fedorenko, commander of a unit code-named Mazda operating in eastern Ukraine.

But not everything is so smooth

It cannot be said that everything went smoothly for Zelensky. His government made mistakes: some leading politicians were forced to resign, and close friends of Zelensky lost their posts.

The president sparked international outrage when he said in November that a Russian missile hit Polish soil and killed two people, but US reports say the missile was likely fired by a Ukrainian air defense system.

This remains one of the rare disagreements between allies. Above all, Zelenskiy sees his main job as using media attention to mobilize aid for his country. Again and again he turned to Western politicians, asking for—some would say pleading—for weapons. Overall, Zelenskiy has been successful as more weapons have been delivered to his country.

“It drew public attention to Ukraine, which is also very important. He brought the problem to the center of the world, ”say his entourage.

Source: Reuters, Deutsche Welle.