CNN
—
In the last week before the Gregorian Christmas, the landscape of Russia’s war in Ukraine took on a different impetus and proved that the battle was not only fought on the frigid fronts of Ukraine, but became something It’s PR. -pony.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has harnessed the media to become a constant presence on screens around the world, beaming in front of parliaments, conferences and even music festivals.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, a past propaganda master, is pushing his own agenda through his absolute control of Russian state media. Comparisons between the two sides reveal a gap that may reflect the larger story of the war.
Last Friday, according to the Kremlin, Putin “spent all day working at the joint staff of the military branches engaged in the special military operation.”
But only image emerges Putin heads a group of generals, dressed in a navy suit and tie, listening to military commanders, who submit to his every whim. There was no mention of the location for this meeting, no reading material, nor did the President make any public comment.
In contrast, Zelensky broadcast his position to the world.
He spent Tuesday morning on the frozen front, visiting troops in the besieged town of Bakhmut. The location is important: Zelensky and his generals have repeatedly said that this area of the 1,300-kilometer front line in Ukraine saw the longest and deadliest fighting. Wearing a khaki military uniform, he called his soldiers “superman”.
Zelensky is no stranger to the front lines in the east of his country. Last week, he posted a selfie video from the town of Slovyansk. Perhaps that visit prompted the Kremlin to act.
On Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry released a video showing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspecting soldiers participating in the so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine.
But the video is not labeled as from any particular region. It also did not reveal any identifying locations. In fact, the only thing it revealed was that Shoigu was in a helicopter, and that Russia still had a number of helicopters in operation.
The most stark contrast has come this week.
On Tuesday in Moscow, Vladimir Putin presented medals in the gilded halls of the Kremlin – again, in a dark suit and maroon tie. Titles, including red belts, were awarded to leaders installed by Russia in the occupied regions of Ukraine: Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
The wringing and waving of flowers couldn’t be more at odds with the way President Zelensky ended his visit to Bakhmut. Standing in a secret underground location, he handed out medals to soldiers, weapons slung across their shoulders, risking their lives to protect.
From Bakhmut, Zelensky eloquently delivered the words: “The East is holding out because Bakhmut is fighting. This is our spiritual fortress. In fierce battles and at the cost of many lives, freedom is being defended here for all of us. The defenders of Bakhmut deserve our utmost support and our highest gratitude.”
But coup was released by Zelensky’s office in a press release Tuesday night. “The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy begins an official visit to the United States of America,” it wrote.
It is a small coincidence that Zelensky has decided to make his first official visit to the US outside of Ukraine since the 300-day war.
On Monday, President Putin made a rare trip to Minsk, Belarus, to visit his ally, President Alexander Lukashenko, who is often considered Europe’s last dictator. The two men, considered aloof by much of the Western world, were seen hugging on the red carpet on a freezing morning at an airport in Minsk.
In contrast, Zelensky will shake hands with – and maybe even hug – the leader of the world’s most powerful nation, the free world, speak to reporters on the South Lawn, sign a major defense package that includes including key Patriot air defense systems, which the Kremlin has described as a “red line” and given a speech to Congress.
It was the final bend from Zelensky to Putin and not a significant achievement for his first foreign trip since the war began.
