Essay on how different Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy from Russian president Vladimir Putin.
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Russia’s invasion in Ukraine is a self-centered ambition of an authoritarian leader. The defense of Ukraine is an ambition of millions of Ukrainians standing up to a foreign autocrat.
I don’t see this conflict as just a territorial dispute. I see a young, flawed democracy struggling against an old empire ruled by an autocrat. Ukraine is not perfect. Like Russia, corruption and oligarchy have rotten much of the Ukrainian society.

But unlike Russians, Ukrainians have been free to choose their own leader that best represents their frustration with the corrupt system. The stark differences between Volodomyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin say a lot about what kind of leaders you can get when you subject them to democratic accountability.

There is a big difference between the kind of a leader Zelenskyy is, and the kind of a leader Putin is. It’s not just their personalities. It’s how they rose to power, how they maintain power, how they treat their opposition, respect civil rights, appeal to their people, and what issues they focus on. So let’s compare.

Sources
Attitudes of Ukrainians and Russians toward one another: https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/art...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy profile
https://www.president.gov.ua/ru/news/...
https://www.britannica.com/biography/...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volodym...
https://www.businessinsider.nl/who-is...
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/...
https://www.politico.eu/article/ukrai...

Zelenskiy's path to presidency: https://carnegiemoscow.org/commentary...

Zelenskiy's approval rating before invasion:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1...
Zelenskiy's pre-war behavior: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20...

Zelenskiy's response to the invasion
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/wo...
https://www.axios.com/ukraine-volodym...
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/27/wo...

Zelenskiy's Facebok post:   / 3017309331852756  

Zelenskiy in Pandora Papers: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1...

Vladimir Putin profile
https://www.britannica.com/biography/...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimi...
https://www.britannica.com/place/Russ...
https://www.forbes.com/profile/vladim...
Putin's life and motivation: https://www.yahoo.com/now/vladimir-pu...

Putin's approval ratings: https://www.levada.ru/2021/12/14/obos...
https://www.levada.ru/en/ratings/
https://www.levada.ru/2022/02/24/ukra...

Putin should fear Zelenskiy: https://carnegiemoscow.org/2019/04/18...

Putin's reasoning for invasion: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/...

Russians protesting the invasion in Ukraine: https://www.politico.eu/article/prote...

Putin's approval rating: https://theconversation.com/putins-pu...

Putin in isolation: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/wo...

Censorship in Russia: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/26/te...
Putin's propaganda and censorship of the Ukraine invasion: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/26/wo...
Putin's desire for Ukraine territory: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/27/br...




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