Mykhailo Rohoza@MykhailoRohoza
Putin underestimated Zelensky, and that played a cruel joke on him. He never considered Zelensky his equal — and still doesn’t. And that is Putin’s main mistake. To this day, Putin sees Zelensky as a comedian, an actor who accidentally won the presidential election. And that is his second mistake. Putin never managed to understand how and when the evolution of Zelensky happened — from comedian to politician, from politician to president, and from president to the leader of the Ukrainian nation. And these changes happened instantly — at 5 a.m. on February 24, 2022.
Putin and the Russian intelligence services were convinced that Zelensky would not have the courage to stand up to the Russian army. In Russia, they were counting on his weakness and inexperience. Especially since Putin had an example before his eyes — Viktor Yanukovych, who in 2014 abandoned the country and fled to Russia during the Revolution of Dignity. Zelensky did not do that — he stayed in the president’s chair. The war revealed the true qualities he had all along.
Since the beginning of the war, Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed the people every day, often recording these messages on an ordinary smartphone. The background is not always perfect, the lighting is not always good — but the sincerity he shows is worth a great deal. That sincerity is present even in the smallest details. Zelensky is not concerned with how he looks. He is concerned with one thing — to explain, to clarify, to support, and to help people understand his decisions.
Putin cannot love anyone; he can only envy, rage, and fear. He was absolutely convinced that a man with as little political experience as Zelensky would not withstand the pressure of the Russian army for long. That Zelensky would be broken by the political situation in the country, economic problems in Ukraine, relentless criticism from bots and opponents, as well as scandals provoked by his enemies, pseudo-friends, and “well-meaning” advisors. None of them could believe that Zelensky had changed — that he had become a true wartime president. That he challenged Putin, who constantly pushed him toward capitulation. But that did not happen and will not happen, because many have already given their lives for Ukraine’s freedom and independence.
Time has passed. The war has reached Russia and will soon leave Ukraine. Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have turned Putin into a real old clown, writhing in the arena — but the audience is not laughing. Over the years of the war, Putin has withered and shrunk, visibly declined; his speeches now provoke only confusion and ridicule. This angers him, but the fact remains: the exact opposite has happened to Putin compared to Zelensky — degradation. From the president of a powerful country, he has turned into a joke and a laughingstock. That is how he will remain in history. Even in this humiliation, he is capable of nothing more.
And Volodymyr Zelensky will remain a historical figure — and a victorious president.
