President Zelensky Rises to Become One Of Our Greatest & Bravest Leaders Of This Present Age

    

"I’m not hiding. And I'm not afraid of anyone."  

- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

Major crises generally will produce real leaders. And right now, despite it's current woes, one country should feel both proud and blessed to have had the leader that they ended up having when that crisis came. The irony was that this leader's political rise seemed almost to have been comical when it happened. But I will get into that a little bit later.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has become both the face and the voice of his people during this Russian war of aggression. There were rumors (mostly by Russians) that he had fled, implying a level of cowardice that they clearly hoped would discourage Ukrainians. Instead, not only has Zelensky stayed in his country in the face of tremendous danger, but he is not even making a secret of his whereabouts. He regularly posts video clips, gives speeches, and holds press conferences to counter the Russian claims that he turned tail and ran. He is still in Kyiv, the capital city, and even recently gave the street address of where he is staying. This, despite acknowledging that he is Russia's number one target, and likely faces death, and perhaps torture, if and when he is captured. 

It would be so much easier for him to flee his country and then lead a government in exile somewhere outside of Ukraine. It would be so much easier for him to at least go into hiding. It would be so much easier for him to concede something, perhaps some of his country's territory - most likely Crimea and the Donbas region, both of which are a majority ethnic Russian - to Putin and Russia. 

Yet, that is not what he has chosen to done. He stayed put, stood strong, and condemned Russia's aggression, while urging his countrymen to keep fighting, even despite facing clearly superior Russian military force. He has repeatedly reiterated that the Russians will never win in Ukraine, and urged the soldiers of the invading force, in their own language, to turn around and go home, that their leaders are lying to them, and that they face only death and failure in his country, which he reiterates is a foreign country, and not simply part of Russia. Zelensky remains defiant against the overwhelming odds, as it still seems likely that, at some point or another, Russian forces will reach the capital city, and something very bad will happen to Zelensky himself.

Zelensky remains undeterred against these dramatic and unbelievable odds, much like the country that he leads. His presence in Kyiv clearly reveals the lie of Russian propaganda attempts at claiming that he has fled the country and making him seem cowardly. The fact that he is Jewish, a descendant of family members who survived the Holocaust, seem to suggest that Putin and Russian leaders claims that Ukraine is run by literal Nazis are, at best, greatly exaggerated and flimsy hype to try and justify their invasion, which has received near universal condemnation around the planet. Zelensky himself has shown such strong and unflinching, uncompromising leadership and bravery, that he has almost instantly gone from a little known world leader, to now someone who inspires the entire world and seems a model of true greatness and leadership in these turbulent times. 

It feels to me almost like Zelensky is showing the kind of leadership that Churchill once led his own nation with. Churchill is hardly a flawless historical figure. He had a racist side, as well as being in favor of a strong British Empire, even as it became clear that colonialism had more than a few criminal elements, and was on it's way out in the modern world. Yet, Churchill is mostly remembered not for his flaws, but for his unyielding courage and resolve, helping cement his own nation's resolve when facing the grave threat of a seemingly unstoppable Nazi Germany and the radical tyranny of Adolf Hitler, who early during World War II, looked like an unbeatable military genius. Britain was literally alone in Europe after the spring and summer of 1940, with almost the entire continent either allied with or outright taken over by Nazi Germany. Germany had yet to invade the Soviet Union, which they would do - a mistake that I believe assured the end of Hitler and Nazism in Europe - the next year. But by the latter half of 1940, with the Soviet Union having signed a non-aggression pact the year before, Britain stood alone in standing against Hitler and Nazi Germany, with it's stunning victories and seeming impregnable military might. Hitler strutted like a conquering hero, claiming that Britain's position was hopeless, and applying pressure on Britain to come to some kind of peace terms. Many in Britain felt that it would be best to acknowledge this reality, and indeed, to come up with some kind of agreement before Germany invaded Britain. Churchill, however, stood strong and urged his country to never, ever surrender, to keep fighting. He promised his troubled citizens that, regardless of how powerful and untouchable Hitler and Germany might seem, that the war would eventually end with the total defeat of Germany. History has proven him right.

Like the United Kingdom during Churchill's day, Ukraine's position presently feels almost impossible. They have been invaded by Russia, a nation with far greater military might and capabilities. Putin claims that Ukraine is simply a part of Russia, that they are one and the same, and that it is merely Nazi propaganda that has convinced Ukrainians differently. But Ukrainians clearly are rejecting this notion, and despite the odds, Ukraine's military, and civilians who have turned into soldier citizens, keep resisting, and have slowed down that might Russian military machine and it's seemingly inevitable takeover of Ukraine. And like Churchill, Zelensky is turning to the world and urging more help, and outright intervention, even though this seems unlikely, at least presently. A direct involvement by pretty much any western nation would likely literally escalate this into World War III. Putin himself has repeatedly warned that any such intervention would be met by unprecedented force, clearly implying a nuclear strike of some sort, without necessarily outright declaring such. So the world may side with the Ukrainian cause, and show signs of sympathy and unity with Ukrainians, but it nevetherless remains largely relegated to the sidelines, at least so far. 

So Zelensky understands the situation. He knows that Ukraine's cause seems almost hopeless, at least according to most of the rest of the world. His nation might literally face extinction, and he himself may very well face certain death in the not so distant future. Yet, he stands strong, his resolve not only not weakening, but seemingly growing stronger with each passing day, as Russia steps up it's strikes on Ukrainian cities, including targeting civilian populations and areas. This is real leadership. Yes, he may have been an actor before becoming Ukraine's president, playing one on TV before being one in real life. But this feels like a lot more than mere acting. And it clearly has not gone unnoticed. Again, the rest of the world looks to him now as a hero. Even those translating his speeches betray their emotions when translating his speeches. 

Yes, he was an actor before he was a president. In fact, he played a fictional Ukrainian president on his television show. Then in 2019, he decided to run for the presidency for real. In the end, he won by a landslide. Prior to this year, however, his greatest claim to fame before the world was not a welcome one. He was in the middle of the controversy that got American President Trump impeached, when Trump withheld military aide to Ukraine, waiting for Ukraine's President Zelensky to give him what he wanted. I do not want to get into that, because this entry really is not about that unfortunate incident.

Suffice to say, however, that Zelensky is famous the world over now for much more heroic leadership. He has shown genuine bravery and inspirational leadership at a time when his country - and perhaps the entire world - urgently needed it. It is difficult to imagine other world leaders showing similar bravery under these kinds of conditions that Zelensky is facing. Would Bill Clinton or George W. Bush or Donald Trump show similar bravery if facing a superior military force advancing on their capital cities, if they were the leaders of less powerful nations? Would Vladimir Putin try to look as tough if he was not the leader of such a military juggernaut of a nation? Give me a break. None of those leaders even compare, They have their supporters, and some of those supporters believe, or at least once believed, that those leaders walked on water. But Zelensky feels like the real deal. There is a very real chance that he will indeed be killed, or possibly captured, and again, not in the distant future. Hell, it almost seems surprising that he has not either been captured or killed already. 

Yet, he stands strong, even if he stands alone, almost literally, against a powerful enemy invading force. That is real leadership. It has moved many, and makes those comparisons with Churchill far more than mere propaganda. Let us appreciate this real leadership by Zelensky, and recognize it for what it is. At a time when the world feels like it is descending into hell quickly, it is so refreshing to see a leader who refuses to give in to cowardice or some kind of self-preserving deal. Now, that is real leadership, and we could use far more of that in this day and age.

Zelensky: "I’m not hiding. And I'm not afraid of anyone." by Shawna Chen, March 7, 2022:

https://www.axios.com/russia-ukraine-zelensky-kyiv-dc81cb3d-9c38-45fc-a05a-420281fbc024.html?fbclid=IwAR0k2xpqXdujHY-AdeRNJdQubaF2Qah0ruzMiIGmrWakGEpDDQgMuKkij-E

President Zelenskyy's speeches keep bringing the people translating them to tears Annie Reneau:

https://www.upworthy.com/translators-keep-getting-choked-up-during-zelenskyy-speeches