Volodimir Zelenskyj, from the television comedy to the tragedy of the war in Ukraine: two years of dizziness and transformations

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered almost two years ago (February 24, 2022) the first military aggression from one European country to another since World War II (the Balkan Wars were the dismantling of Yugoslavia into a civil war) and in Kiev awaited a president who had recently come to power on the wave of anti-corruption fatigue, with very little political experience and who had become famous as a comedian and actor.

Volodimir Zelenskiy dressed in khaki and began traveling the world to get the money, weapons and ammunition that Ukraine did not have to face Russia.

And he left the leadership of the war to General Valeri Zaluzhny, the man who had been preparing for the Russian attack for two years, who had modernized the methods, strategies and structures of the Ukrainian armed forces and who maintained close contacts with his European and American counterparts.

Two years and tens of thousands of deaths later, Ukraine was able to stop what in the first days appeared to be a Russian military parade.

It lost territories in the southeast, where Russia is well established, and important cities such as Mariupol after fierce resistance, but it did not fall into the hands of the Kremlin autocrat.

The idea is being sold from Ukraine that Zelensky has not changed, that he is still the people’s president, who consults and cares. But the former comedian yes, it has changed and as his country goes through moments of military doubt in the face of the latest Russian advances, the president has taken control of the direction of the war by firing military officer Zaluzhny.

Zelensky now has more to say about the military leadership and he turned to a tougher man, at home and away. European diplomats say they have the impression of finding themselves in the presence of someone who is more determined and at the same time less certain because he trusts fewer people.

Diplomat, spokesperson and military leader

Zelensky is now everything: the diplomat, the communicator and the military leader. Members of his government are becoming less visible and Zaluzhny’s dismissal leaves its mark a powerful signal.

The general was seen as a potential political rival of the future and was one of the few people with a higher approval rating among the population than the president, who maintains a high popularity and superior to that of his ministers.

When Russia invaded, Zelensky repeatedly said that the generals were leading the war and that he trusted them. He now personally supervises military plans and moves generals.

Zaluzhny was replaced by General Oleksander Syrsky, a man who played a fundamental role in these two years of war but who does not have Zaluzhny’s aura and is unknown to the entire population. If military strategy should change little, politics changes a lot because now Zelenskyj, by implicating himself in the conduct of the war, personally assumes the success or failure of military operations.

Zelensky seems to want that military role, not just political. Their presence at the front has increased and also walk a few kilometers from where the Russian troops are located.

The president seems to have aged five years in two years and European sources speak of a tired man, even if he intends to continue leading the resistance to the Russian attack.

His priority now is to convince his European partners to send him everything they have at hand because the Ukrainians defend their territory with fewer military means than the Russian invader. And they give ground as Russia gains a foothold in Crimea and the Donbass region.

Zelenskiy presidential elections suspended, which should have been this month of March. The activated martial law does not allow elections to take place and among the refugees (more than four million), internally displaced people and the population under Russian occupation, more than a third of Ukrainians could not vote. The political opposition supports the president’s decisions and practically does not disagree on anything because it is still the time for national unity and not criticism.

Zelenskyj continues with his strategy towards Europe. While financial support seems secure for the next few years after the approval of a 50 billion euro package, it is not so certain that weapons and ammunition will arrive on time and in the quantities Ukraine needs.

US Republicans have blocked a $60 billion fund prepared by the Biden administration, and there is no military industrial capacity in Europe to support the Ukrainian war effort.

Polls say that the European population is increasingly pessimistic and that only one in ten believes that Ukraine can win the war if it means expelling Russian troops from its territory. If in June, as polls predict, the far right grows and the European Parliament shifts to the right, support for Ukraine will become more complicated.