Zelensky the Artist

Review by Bill Doughty––

There are some obvious signs this book was rushed into print to meet the moment in trying to answer key questions. Would Zelensky be able to stay alive to lead his brave country in the fight against Putin’s invasion? Would Ukraine be overrun? Could Russia be stopped?

Rushed as it is, nonetheless this book is an important tool to examine how Zelensky became “Churchill in a T-shirt.” Also, it encapsulates history, context, and personalities to provide context for Putin’s invasion and war against Ukraine.

The book is “Zelensky: The Unlikely Ukranian Hero Who Defied Putin and United the World” by Andrew L. Urban and Chris McLeod, with a foreword by Rebekah Koffler (Regency Publishing, 2022). Urban and McLeod look into the Ukranian President Zelensky’s early life, rise to the presidency, and use of his art as a communicator and performer to become an inspirational leader.

U.S. military readers would benefit from the book’s concise presentation of the history of Ukraine and the demise of the USSR, presented in timelines, statistics, and data.

Readers can appreciate the inclusion of some extras in this book that make it more than just a biography or compilation of statistics and news reports. The authors include historical timelines about Ukraine and the “demise” of the Soviet Union. They present a short chapter on the alliances of Europe, including NATO, the Warsaw Pact, European Union, the Baltic States, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Urban and McLeod examine NATO and other strategic alliances and show clearly how Putin and Russia have violated the rule of law, spelled out in the Budapest Memorandum, which calls for nations “to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine.”

Using more statistics, the authors examine the disparity between Russian and Ukrainian forces. They show how and perhaps why the Russians paint the “Z” symbol on their tanks and trucks. They explain the make-up of the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary paramilitary group, named for the German composer as a nod to one of its organizer’s “passion for the Third Reich.”

President Zelensky aboard USS Ross (DDG-71)

The authors shoot down Putin’s excuses for his invasion of Ukraine, especially the pretext of the need to attack Nazi forces in control of Russia’s neighbor. We are reminded several times in this book that Zelensky is of Jewish heritage. His great grandfather and other family members were murdered in World War II in the Holocaust.

Readers are told of some uncomfortable ties between Putin’s aggression in Ukraine and some Americans of influence; some who have spoken out against U.S. support and involvement include (now former) Representative Madison Cawthorn, Senate Candidate J.D. Vance, and Fox TV anchor Tucker Carlson. 

Urban and McLeod report how in 2020 former Navy SEAL Erik Prince, founder of the Blackwater paramilitary group, “sought to provide military services to the Wagner Group in its operations in Libya and Mozambique.” (Prince is the brother of President Trump’s former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.) In one of the book’s timelines we are reminded of Trump’s call with Zelensky three years ago this month in which he tried to leveraged military support to Ukraine in an attempt to get political dirt on his opponent, leading to Trump’s first impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Such indirect support to Putin’s regime and against Ukraine is counterbalanced by the heavy direct support by Western Allies, especially by President Biden and the United States Congress, in providing weapons and ammunition to Zelensky and Ukraine. As of this book’s publication, the United States had provided $1.38 billion in military aid. But, according to Secretary of State Tony Blinken, as of Oct. 4, 2022 the United States has provided $17.5 billion in U.S. military assistance to Ukraine.

This relatively small book is a snapshot from the opening months of the war. Who knows how history will unfold in the weeks and months to come? What seems clear now is Putin is backed into a corner, and the shadow of nuclear escalation and even Armageddon seems bigger and darker. But, Ukraine is showing much of the world that freedom-loving democracy is worth fighting for.

A map in the opening pages purports to show contested areas in eastern Ukraine overrun by Russia; of course, any map older than a week would be inaccurate. 

With no index, no notes, and plenty of repetition and lack of coherence, this book was obviously rushed into print. Still, the good content outweighs the shortcomings.

The book concludes with a transcription of Zelensky’s inspiring address to the U.S. Congress on March 16, 2022, for which he received standing ovations.

His art as a communicator and motivating leader, reminiscent of Churchill, shines through.

In his remarks, Zelensky spoke passionately about need to protect the people in his country who want to live free and under the rule of law. “Americans,” he said, “in your great history, you have patriots that would allow you to understand Ukranians, understand us now when we need you right now. Remember Pearl Harbor…”

Top photo: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is welcomed aboard USS Ross (DDG-71) by Vice Adm. Gene Black, commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet, and Ross commanding officer Cmdr. John D. John in Odessa, Ukraine, during Exercise Sea Breeze 2021, July 4, 2021. Exercise Sea Breeze is a multinational maritime exercise cohosted by U.S. Sixth Fleet and the Ukrainian Navy in the Black Sea since 1997. Sea Breeze 2021 is designed to enhance interoperability of participating nations and strengthen maritime security and peace within the region. (MC2 Trey Fowler)