A year into the Ukrainian war, Putin doesn’t take Zelensky seriously
It has been a year since the Russian-imposed war in Ukraine, but the Moscow government has not even achieved its desired military goals. The determination of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has proved to be a mountain in this war. Today, February 24, it has been one year since the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine. Exactly one year ago today, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a ‘military operation’ in Ukraine shortly before 6am local time after massing his forces on the Ukrainian border for several weeks.
On this occasion, Putin asked Western countries to stop helping Ukraine and threatened that it could have unprecedented consequences. However, Russia’s powerful army could not demoralize Ukrainian President Zelensky.
It was President Zelenskiy who gave a new hope to the country’s army and people. In that year, he issued some message every day, some of which raised the morale of the army and some urged the people to remain united. These were the messages, in which Zelensky asked Western countries for arms to counter Russian aggression.
When Russia invaded, some believed that President Putin’s forces would soon take over Ukraine. However, military support from Western countries and the determination of President Zelensky overshadowed the Kremlin’s plans
On the first day of the Russian invasion, i.e. February 24, 2022, Zelensky said that every child of the country will defend their homeland. In his emotional address, he pitted the army against Russia’s perceived might.
During that year, Zelenskiy and his cabinet remained in the capital, Kiev. Even then, Zelensky refused to leave the country, at one point when Russian forces reached the borders of Kiev. However, the Ukrainian people and the army together pushed back the Russian army on these fronts.
It was President Zelensky, whose determination Western countries cooperated with the Kiev government in every respect. European countries, including the United States, also provided modern military equipment to Ukraine and supported Ukraine’s integrity and sovereignty at international forums.
Some quarters say that the Russian government did not take Ukrainian President Zelensky seriously. Zelenskiy is not a regular politician. His victory in the 2019 presidential election was a surprising development. No one knew that a professional actor, producer and comedian would win this election.
However, a year after the Russian invasion, Zelenskiy has emerged as a confused politician. He not only refused compromises in every difficult time, but together with the western allies, he has taken the command of this war like a real soldier.
Of course, if President Zelensky had given up after this Russian attack and bowed to the Moscow government, this conflict would probably have ended long ago and Russia would have been trying to expand its military ambitions, especially in Europe. However, the situation is different today because of Zelinsky