CNN
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In the last week before Christmas on the Gregorian calendar, Russia’s view of the war in Ukraine has taken on a different dynamic, with not only battles being fought on Ukraine’s frigid front lines, but PR-like retaliation. It shows that it has become a thing. -tat.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has used the media to become an ever-present figure on screens around the world, and to hold parliaments, meetings, Even at music festivals.
A master of propaganda of the past, Russian President Vladimir Putin is pushing his own agenda by taking complete control of Russia’s state media. A comparison of the two shows a chasm that may reflect the larger narrative of the war.
last Friday, According to the Kremlin Putin “worked all day in the Joint Chiefs of Staff of a military branch involved in special military operations.”
but only the image that came out Putin was at the head of the table of generals in naval suits and ties, listening to military chiefs who gave in to his every whim. There was no mention of the location of this meeting, no materials were made public, and the president made no public comment.
Zelensky, by contrast, made his place known to the world.
He spent Tuesday morning on the frozen front lines, visiting troops in the beleaguered town of Bakhmut. The location was important. Zelensky and his generals have repeatedly said that this part of his 1,300-kilometer front line in Ukraine sees the most persistent and deadly fighting. Dressed in khakis, he called his soldiers “superhuman.”
Zelensky is not new to the front lines in the eastern part of his country. Last week he posted a selfie video of him from the town of Slovyansk. Perhaps that visit spurred the Kremlin to his actions.
On Sunday, Russia’s Defense Ministry released a video in which Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu allegedly inspects troops involved in a so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine.
However, the videos were not labeled as being from a specific region. In fact, the only thing it revealed was the helicopter Shoigu, and there are still some functioning helicopters in Russia.
This week was the most contrasting.
In Moscow on Tuesday, Vladimir Putin handed out medals in the Kremlin’s gilded hall – again wearing a dark suit and maroon tie. Given to the leaders: Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson.
Wringing hands and waving a bouquet of flowers couldn’t be more at odds with how President Zelensky ended his visit to Bakhmut. They handed out medals, slung weapons over their shoulders, and risked their lives to defend themselves.
From Bakhmut, Zelensky uttered provocative words. This is our morale bastion. Freedom is protected here for all of us, at the cost of fierce fighting and many lives. Defenders of Bakhmut deserve our utmost support and our highest gratitude. ”
However Killing Blow It was announced in a press statement from Zelensky’s office on Tuesday night. “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has launched an official visit to the United States,” it reads.
It is little coincidence that Zelensky decided to make his first official visit to the United States outside of Ukraine since the war 300 days ago.
On Monday, Putin visited Minsk, Belarus, to visit his ally, President Alexander Lukashenko, who is often referred to as Europe’s last dictator. The two men, considered outcasts by much of the western world, were seen embracing on the red carpet on a frosty morning at Minsk’s airport.
Zelensky, by contrast, would shake hands and possibly even hug the leaders of the free world, the most powerful nation in the world. He will speak to reporters at South Lawn and sign a critical defense package, including the critical Patriot air defense system. The Kremlin describes this as a “red line” and addresses parliament.
This is the ultimate change from Zelensky to Putin, and a not insignificant achievement for his first trip out of the country since the war began.
