JRL NEWSWATCH: “How Zelensky Tamed Ukraine’s Fractious Politics and Stood Up to Putin” – New York Times
“Russian tanks were rolling over the border and Kyiv … was in … fear and panic. Street fighting broke out … [A] Russian armored column … advanced to within two miles of the office of … Zelensky. In those tense first days of the war, almost everyone … expected the Ukrainian leadership to fracture. Instead, [] Zelensky decided to personally remain … taking selfies as he traversed Kyiv to reassure his people. … [H]e ordered … senior aides, many Cabinet members and much of his government to also stay put …. It was a crystallizing moment for [] Zelensky’s government, ensuring a wide array of agencies kept running efficiently and in sync. Leading politicians put aside … sharp-elbowed infighting that had defined Ukrainian politics for decades and instead created a largely united front that continues …. No senior officials defected or fled … [T]he bureaucracy quickly went onto a war footing. …”