WHAT A JOKE - "The U.S. government has offered and is prepared to help Zelenskyy leave the country"!

©  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks alongside other Ukrainian officials in the governmental district of Kyiv, confirming that he is still in the capital, February 25, 2022.

He sold himself to voters as the Ukrainian Everyman, determined to put an end to the Russian-backed war in the east and systemic corruption in government. Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a new face in politics, but a familiar one on television, and in 2019 the former comedian swept to power as Ukraine’s sixth president with 73 per cent of the vote.

Today, Zelenskyy is steadfast as he leads his country through war.

Despite the risk, the 44-year-old president has taken his last stand and has been on the streets of Kyiv in defiance of the Russian troops that are invading his country. On Friday morning, in a video addressed to Ukrainians, Zelenskyy said that he has been identified by the enemy as the number one target and his family as the number two.

This came after a conference call the night before on which he reportedly told European Union leaders, “This might be the last time you see me alive.”

The U.S. government has offered and is prepared to help Zelenskyy leave the country, but so far, he has refused. As more than 100,000 Russian troops attack Ukraine in the largest ground war in Europe since World War Two, and just hours after he was warned by the U.S. that Kyiv could soon fall, Zelenskyy pledged to remain in the capital city. He said he would be staying “with everyone who is needed for the work of the central government.”

While he may appear on the surface to be an unlikely wartime leader, experts say his short time in politics may be what has allowed him to feel the need to unwaveringly defend his country and adopt his bold leadership strategy, something a career politician may shy away from.

Maria Popova, associate professor of political science at McGill University with a specialization in European politics, said that people may be surprised by Zelenskyy’s determination because of the Russian narrative that Ukraine is not a real nation.

“Ukrainians are attached to their independence, and they’re willing to fight for it,” she said. “So, it’s not surprising that Zelenskyy is taking this position, because he is a Ukrainian.”

When considering the leadership styles of Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Popova said the only commonality they share is that they both rely on a kind of charisma. Zelenskyy’s is based on his democratic legitimacy, she said. He was elected by Ukrainian citizens and is proud to represent them and speak for them. Putin’s charisma is paternalistic. Popova said it is based on the idea that he will take care of the Russian population and tell them what needs to be done.

“He is the decision-maker who imposes decisions, even on those closest to him, not taking advice from them, but telling them what they need to do,” she said.

Of course, the two leaders also differ in their political experience.

Zelenskyy was a political novice when he became president, emphasized Popova. He holds a degree in law from the Kyiv National Economic University but is overwhelmingly known for his role on the Ukrainian political satire television series Servant of the People.

For four years, Zelenskyy played a high school history teacher that was thrust into politics and elected president of Ukraine after a video of him criticizing government corruption went viral. His character challenges politicians and shady businessmen for the betterment of his country. When Zelenskyy ran for the actual role of president of Ukraine in 2018, he did so as part of the Servant of the People Party, which he founded and named after the show.

Popova said that Zelenskyy’s background in acting and producing a television show has affected his leadership style. He is used to being in front of the camera which allows him to speak confidently and develop a good rapport with viewers.

Before the Russian invasion had begun, Zelenskyy had already started using the power of social media to communicate with his people, and his enemies, through videos. In one posted on Feb. 24 he pleaded with the Russian people to stop their leadership from sending troops into Ukraine. He stressed their close ties and warned of the war to come.

“You are being told this is a plan to free the people of Ukraine,” said Zelenskyy in Russian. “But the Ukrainian people are free.”

Posting videos on social media is the only way Zelenskyy can speak with the Russian population, said Popova. He knows that Putin’s government controls the media, so posting on sites like Facebook and Twitter is his only option.

On Friday evening, Zelenskyy spoke to Ukrainians and to Russians on Facebook. After rumours spread by Russian media that he had fled Kyiv, Zelenskyy posted a video to the social media site which showed him and top government leaders standing defiantly in the streets of the capital city with the caption: “We’re in here. We are in Kyiv. We defend Ukraine.”