Two years of war in Ukraine: the transformation of Volodymyr Zelensky, a president now on the front line

Volodymyr Zelensky has hardened over the past two years. MAXPPP – Pool /Ukrainian Presidentia

The strong man of kyiv still firmly holds the helm of his country, but is looking for a second wind.

Hold on, whatever the cost. This is the slogan of the Ukrainians and the first of them, Volodymyr Zelensky, who reiterated it again on February 17 during the Munich Security Conference. "The Ukrainians held out for 724 days. 724 days, he hammered in front of the international elite.725 days ago you would have thought this was possible ?" 

No, few Europeans would have bet on the Ukrainians, and on their president-actor, who had the courage to lead the resistance in the face of Putin's aggression.

International icon and symbol of resilience

In just a few months, Zelensky has become an international icon, a symbol of resilience.

The approval rating for his action peaked at more than 90% in 2022. But since the failure of the 2023 summer counter-offensive, Zelensky has run out of solutions, and seeks to regain the initiative.

Contrary to an opinion circulating in Europe, largely amplified by Russian propaganda, Zelensky is not a president in dire straits.

According to a poll carried out in early February 20224 by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), 69% of Ukrainians want Zelensky to remain president until the suspension of martial law, therefore until the end of the war, of which no one knows when it will occur.

A poorly digested eviction

He therefore remains the man for the job. However, between the lines, the proportion of Ukrainians wanting Zelensky to serve only one term rose from 34% in December to 43% in February.

This means that many Ukrainians have had difficulty digesting the ouster at the beginning of February of the popular commander-in-chief of the armies Valery Zalouzhny, and that support for Zelensky is not in place. in no case a blank check.

Misunderstood popularity

Volodymyr Fesenko, director of the Penta study center, believes that Zelensky's popularity in Ukraine has been somewhat misunderstood in Europe.

"At the beginning of the war, the country consolidated and people saw that Zelensky was not afraid. Zelensky then obtained a confidence rating that no president has ever obtained in Ukraine, explains this respected political scientist.It was more a patriotic reflex than a blissful love for the president. By supporting Zelensky, people were supporting the country. A year ago, despite fatigue, Zelensky and many Ukrainians believed that a turning point in the war was possible by liberating parts of the territory, this maintained a certain aura around Zelensky. But the situation is more difficult today, a bit like a computer that starts to move, to slow down…hellip; "

His youthful features have disappeared

What is most striking about Zelensky is his physical transformation. He has lost the youthful features that he still displayed on February 23, 2023. For several observers, this is due to the physical and psychological pressure imposed on this man, who notoriously sleeps very little.

"Zelensky has established himself as a leader, he has become much more mature, believes Vitalii Sych, editor-in-chief from the general magazine NV. But it shows even in his appearance, just look at his pre-war photos and those from today. He doesn't look like someone who has grown two years older, but who has aged at least fifteen years. I think he suffered emotional, psychological trauma and a major injury." 

"He shows more and more signs of nervousness, sometimes even aggressiveness"

Fesenko and Sych also agree that Volodymyr Zelensky has hardened. "He shows more and more signs of nervousness, sometimes even aggressiveness", when things are not going in the direction he would like, notes Volodymyr Fesenko, for whom, and it is no secret in Ukraine, President Zelensky does not like the critics.

However, in recent months, Volodymyr Zelensky has taken personal and political risks. Relatively detached from military affairs at the very beginning of the war, left to the discretion of the army, Zelensky is much more present now. He regularly went to the front, and it was to him that the decision to replace General Valery Zalouzhny with Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrsky at the head of the Ukrainian army was attributed.

"It is to him that we will attribute the success or ;rsquo;failure of future developments"

"From now on, Zelensky moves to the front line, and he takes responsibility for military decisions, and it is to him that the success or failure of future developments will be attributed," warns an opposition MP, wishing to remain anonymous, who believes that if the US Congress does not deliver its $60 billion aid package, Zelensky could experience a very difficult time.

"Zelensky did well during the war, on the other hand, he did much less well on the question of modernization of the country, its resentment towards the [critical] media is sometimes very pronounced, warns Vitalii Sych. I hope he can get his act together and can move the country forward as well as he did at the start of the Russian invasion.’ ;quot;

Stéphane Siohan is the author, with Régis Genté, of the first biography published in France dedicated to the Ukrainian president, “Volodymyr Zelensky, in the head of a hero” (Robert Laffont). I subscribe to read more