Intelligence Expert Analysis: Zelensky vs Putin

Mike Mears – Senior Warrior Intelligence Analyst

In May 2022, I had a Zoom call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted by the UK think tank, Chatham House. He sat behind a small table with his brown sleeves rolled up, in contrast to Russian President Putin’s approach of sitting at the end of long tables in ornate rooms.

Zelensky spoke without notes. He said the Russian invasion is a priority for the whole world and not just Ukraine because Russians have blocked shipment of corn, sunflower oil and grain. Lower income and middle-class people will suffer as a result. “We see no end to this yet—no indication Russia wants to end this war.” He discussed Russian war crimes at length.

In spite of the weighty topics, Zelensky spoke with an upbeat undertone—”there is a bright future ahead of us,” and “we are absolutely confident we will defend our independence.” He spoke from the heart.

In the last newsletter, we discussed how we judge leaders by visual cues, especially behaviors. Let’s examine Putin’s and Zelensky’s visible actions to determine how we rank the two leader’s leadership acumen.

Leadership: Zelensky vs. Putin

Culture

Before comparing, we need to consider cultural variances. While western leadership styles are similar, the American leadership approach may meet resistance when transplanted wholesale into a more formal European corporate setting—and vice versa.

Russian leadership culture is quite different. I lived in Russia for three years and had an opportunity to observe leadership styles used by politicians, diplomats, and managers in factories and government organizations. Russian leadership is far more autocratic than would be tolerated in the West.