Russian-speaking Zelensky’s Home Videos Are Weapons Against Putin

Since Russia invaded Ukraine a month ago, the world has been following developments closely. The Ukrainian resistance surprised even its opponents who, even before the incursion, said that the so-called special military operation would only last a few days. Several lines of analysis note that there was a serious miscalculation on the part of Vladimir Putin, in underestimating the Ukrainian army, but above all, the Russian president did not expect that he would have to face a threat worth his salt: Volodymyr’s ability to communicate. Zelensky.

Actor and comedian, when Zelensky was elected to lead Ukraine in 2019, he was already well known. Born in the former Soviet Union, his mother tongue is Russian. Zelensky spent much of his artistic career touring Russia. A few years earlier, in 2015, the current Ukrainian leader became the protagonist of a TV series called, in free translation, “Servant of the People”.

In the plot, Zelensky plays a history professor, without any political background, who becomes president of Ukraine after going viral on the internet. Coincidentally, Zelensky’s rise to power seems to have come straight from the metaverse into real life. The then-actor announced his candidacy for the highest office in the country, for a party called “Servo do Povo”, after the airing of an episode of the series and, of course, surprised by the similarity with the TV show. He was elected with over 70% of the vote.

One of his campaign promises was to sit down with Vladimir Putin and end conflicts in the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. But soon Zelensky realized that the practice was much more difficult than the theory. The ideological and political differences between the two presidents soon emerged, but they became even more pronounced with the arrival of the pandemic.

Russia offered Ukraine the Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19, but Zelensky chose to apply immunizations manufactured in the West, in addition to the Chinese Sinovac (a vaccine that, in Brazil, is produced in partnership with Butantan and is known as Coronavac). Another important factor contributed to widening the rift between the two countries. After US President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, Zelensky found the opening he needed to bring Ukraine closer to Western countries, which displeased Putin and culminated – for other reasons too – in war.

Home videos spoken in Russian

In the first days of the conflict, Zelensky began to publish home videos talking about the situation in the country and calling for resistance from the Ukrainian people. But he realized that the message also needed to reach the Russians.

It was then that other videos aimed at the Russian nation emerged. With great skill, Zelensky has shaped his speech and managed to separate what he calls a peaceful people from an oppressive leader.

He, who represents the figure of a son of the former Soviet Union, who understood the connection between the two countries, asked the Russians to do what was necessary to stop the war.

In one of the videos, Zelensky says that one of the Kremlin’s justifications for the invasion was the liberation of the Ukrainian people and stressed that it was necessary to remember that Ukraine was already free and sovereign. The country only wanted to choose its own path.

The number of Russians who responded to Zelensky’s appeal is not known, but the fact is that thousands of people, in several cities in Russia, took to the streets to demand an end to the war and were arrested. Even so, the protests keep happening.

If Zelensky’s communication poses a threat to Putin, Russian war propaganda is quite an opponent for the Ukrainian leader. Countless reports from people who are in Ukraine and have family in Russia show us this on a daily basis.

In some cases, it is still possible to hear that Zelensky is a person Russians can easily identify with, but that it is unfortunate how he is associated with neo-Nazis. But the battle of narratives continues.

Zelensky spoke to the parliaments of several European countries and to the United States. In each of his speeches, the speech was specially formatted to reach the audience in a way that aroused not only interest, but the desire to respond to his appeals. And this is only possible when one of the most important principles of oratory is mastered: knowing your audience. Regardless of what happens next, one thing is for sure. Volodymyr Zelensky will leave an important legacy in warfare communication.