Indeed, the Ukrainian President was asked about it during his video appearance at the WEF summit in Davos on Wednesday. Without batting an eyelid, he said he was not afraid of being targeted and was focused on getting the military help Ukraine needed from Western allies.
But asking that question, right now — imagining Ukraine without its now-iconic warlord — offers a startling moment of clarity.
What’s in a name?
Of course, Volodymyr Zelensky is far more recognizable than Denys Monastyrsky, or even Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Both inside and outside Ukraine. It is also undeniable that Zelensky’s Courage in the early days and weeks of the war were vital, even decisive, in rallying the armed forces and the nation – and the rest of the world – to repel the Russian onslaught.
The Ukrainian people have lost too much
Even six months ago, perhaps, we could imagine that the loss of Zelensky could have changed the course of the war and our collective history.
But not right now.
And it’s not because names and personalities don’t matter. On the contrary: all the names have become far too important. The Ukrainian people have lost too muchhave paid too high a price by facing a bigger and better armed enemy on a daily basis.
Yes, Zelensky’s role continues to be critical, and he remains extremely popular. Yes, his untimely death would be painful for the nation. But now the war machine and the mobilized national war effort have reached maturity. Ukrainians are driven by a love for their nation and a hatred of the enemy that goes far beyond any person.
If Putin had gone…
But there is a seemingly paradoxical analogy on the other side of this war.
The situation in Russia also seems to rest on one man: It was Vladimir Putin who decided to go to war, that unites the nation behind its false pretense for invasion and the brutal targeting of innocent lives, coupled with a nationwide mobilization last fall.
And yet, there too, a change of leader will not change anything. Even though Putin died suddenly before dinner tonight, this war will be with us for many more meals to come. Russian soldiers will continue to fire on Ukrainian residences, not out of love for their homeland, but because a new group of superiors is driven by the same fear and lust for power as Putin.
Beyond leaders
A nation that grew up in fear of NATO attacks, Western influence, LGBTQ rightsand a soulless post-Christian culture will continue to struggle, will be ready for sacrifice.
The brainwashed by the propaganda of their so-called “deep people”, that is, the tens of millions of people living outside Moscow and St. Petersburg, have long formed a picture of their reality and will not abandon him just because another bluish corpse of the leader in the Kremlin coffin will replace Lenin.
The conclusion is self-evident: this is not a war between Putin and Zelensky; it’s a war between Russia and Ukraine, a war between two tectonic plates of timewhere one has moved into the future, and the other is permanently stuck in the past.
Perhaps the only solace for Ukrainians right now is in the very nature of time, which can only move forward.
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