Few leaders in history have seen their global stature rise as swiftly as the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has over the past 10 months. Even as the brutal war imposed on his nation by Russia continues, Mr Zelensky appears convinced of victory. In Washington, he addressed the US Congress and told the seemingly spellbound audience that Ukraine had already won the battle for minds of the world. Even Russia would find it difficult to disagree with Mr Zelensky. For three decades after the demise of the Soviet Union, Ukraine struggled to find its place in the world. It often battled political instability, in no small measure because both Russia and the West have never stopped vying for influence over the country. Allegations of corruption were rampant. When Russia first threatened and then invaded Ukraine in February, most experts did not give the smaller nation a chance of surviving Moscow’s military onslaught for more than a few days. Indeed, Vladimir Putin’s description of the conflict as a “special military operation” underscored the belief at the time in the Russian leadership that it could take control of the nation swiftly, through a military blitzkrieg.
Ukraine withstood the initial assault, mostly on its own — with previously hidden weaknesses in the Russian army getting exposed too. But very soon, it became clear that the country was not going to be left to fend for itself. Ukraine’s Western allies started arming it and financing its fightback and the combat became more even-handed. Now, with the United States of America and European nations supplying Ukraine with some of their most sophisticated weaponry, Mr Zelensky’s army has taken back large parts of territories occupied by Russia. None of that takes away from the losses and devastation Ukraine has suffered. Entire cities are rubble. Millions of Ukrainians have been turned into refugees. A generation of children will forever be scarred. But through it all, Ukraine and Ukrainians have gained global respect not just from fellow nation-states but ordinary people — for their heroism, their resilience and their pride in their nation.
They deserve it. But it is also true that in a cynical world saturated with pain and suffering, Ukraine’s story of glory is a carefully built narrative amplified with the help of the West and its media to allow it to stand above other tragedies that pockmark the planet — from wars and famine in Africa and the Middle East to heart-wrenching hunger and suffering in Afghanistan. Mr Zelensky has been central to building that narrative. When many expected him to flee Ukraine at the start of the war, he stayed on. Almost always in a green military jumpsuit, he has broadcast inspiring speeches and calls for action from his office, the streets of Kyiv and battlegrounds. He was a comedian before he became president. Ten months into the war, no one is laughing at him.
Mr Zelensky’s elevated global status sends a deeper, related message. That modern conflict is as much a battle on the ground as it is a war to capture the mind and, consequently, collective perception. Thanks to its totemic president, Ukraine has the edge in the latter.
