Binaries

Vlodomir Zelenskyy’s public persona crystalized rapidly in the early months of the Ukraine crisis, perhaps first in service of bolstering Ukrainian national identity as threats of Russian military action loomed in the Spring of 2021. Immediately preceding the advent of armed conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, and throughout the subsequent sixteen months of ongoing war in the region, this public persona has been strategically employed in bids for foreign aid. Notably, Zelenskiy has made public appearances at major media awards shows and in elaborate magazine spreads (note first lady Olena Zelenska’s June 2022 American Vogue cover, which also features several photos of Zelenskiy), and maintains a constant social media presence via Twitter and Instagram. Following Meta’s temporary policy in March 2022 allowing users to circulate “calls for violence” against Russian soldiers, Russia’s federal media executive agency, Roskomnadzor, banned Instagram in the country in light of Meta’s supposedly “extremist activities.”