Tag: Russia

Volodymyr Zelensky: the comedian who defied the might of Putin’s war machine Marc Berenson, King's College London Heading into battle in Ukraine, Russian forces mark their equipment with a single letter signifying their objective. There have been different interpretations of the letter “Z” being used on Russian vehicles – one is that it represents the first letter of “Za pobedy”, which means “For victory” in Russian. But for others, who saw Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky describe himself as Russia’s “target number one”, the giant “Z” would seem to confirm that toppling Zelensky is first and foremost on Vladimir Putin’s otherwise unreadable mind. Outside Ukraine, Zelensky has become the global figurehead and focus of Ukrainian resistance, something underlined by the Britis...

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been lauded for his resistance to the Russian invasion. Photo by Laurent Van der Stockt for Le Monde/Getty Images Michael Blake, University of Washington Whatever happens in the coming weeks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will go down as the face of Ukrainian resilience during the Russian invasion of his country. His response to the Russian invasion of his country has been widely praised, both at home and abroad. His speech to the European Parliament in early March received a standing ovation. Western press outlets have referred to him as a “hero,” as the “voice” of his nation, and as a “focal point” for democratic resistance to tyranny. Some of this acclaim can be explained simply with reference to the fact that Zelenskyy is the president of a beleague...