Category: Volodymyr Zelensky

“S’attaquer au groupe Wagner, c’est s’attaquer à Poutine”

On By Marc NadeauIn DGSE, Emmanuel Macron, Forces spéciales, Groupe Wagner, Robert Laffont, Vincent Crouzet, Vladimir Poutine, Volodymyr ZelenskyLeave a comment
Vincent Crouzet (Robert Laffont Canada)

Dans la foulée de ma recension de son excellent roman Service Action – Sauvez Zelensky!, l’auteur Vincent Crouzet a généreusement accepté de répondre à mes questions.

Je suis très heureux de partager cet entretien ici.

M. Crouzet, d’où est venue votre inspiration pour écrire au sujet de l’espionnage et des Forces spéciales?

C’est une idée que j’ai depuis longtemps : raconter le travail au quotidien du Service Action de la DGSE, et inscrire les intrigues dans la conjoncture internationale. Aussi jouer sur l’aspect très contemporain de mes histoires, pour leur apporter tout le réalisme nécessaire. Je développe cette série sous le pseudo de Victor K., mais sous mon vrai nom, Vincent Crouzet, j’ai déjà à mon actif sept romans d’espionnage…

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Joe Biden: Leader of the Free World

On By Marc NadeauIn Chris Whipple, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Freedom, Harry S. Truman, History, Joe Biden, Leadership, Lyndon B. Johnson, Ronald Reagan, Russia, Scribner, Simon & Schuster Canada, Tyranny, Ukraine, US Politics, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Winston ChurchillLeave a comment

“To every man there comes in his lifetime that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered a chance to do a very special thing, unique to him and fitted to his talents,” declared Winston Churchill. For many, that hour comes early. For some, like the heroic British Prime Minister, it comes later. For others, like US President Joe Biden, it comes even later in life.

As we commemorate today the tragic first anniversary of the murderous onslaught launched by Vladimir Putin against Ukraine, it seems fitting to write about one of the best political biographies I have read in a long time. The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House (Scribner) is required reading for anyone seeking to understand the character of the 46th President of the United States.

In the summer of 2017, the events surrounding the extreme-right manifestations in the streets of Charlottesville convinced former Vice President Biden that Donald Trump “was giving evil a safe harbour”, thus contributing to the Democratic politician’s decision to run. The combat for 2020 was between good and evil. And no one was better equipped than Joe Biden to lead it.

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Sauvez Zelensky!

On By Marc NadeauIn DGSE, Emmanuel Macron, Fauda, France, Ian Fleming, James Bond, Opérations spéciales, Robert Laffont, Russie, SAS Rogue Heroes, Ukraine, Vincent Crouzet, Vladimir Poutine, Volodymyr Zelensky, Winston ChurchillLeave a comment

« Volodymyr n’a pas peur de mourir. Je le sais. Il est habité par autre chose. Il est déjà ailleurs », déclare le président de la République française au colonel Coralie Desnoyers, chef du Service Action – bras armé de la Direction générale de la Sécurité extérieure (DGSE) dans les premières heures de la guerre lancée contre l’Ukraine par Moscou.

Dès les premières heures de l’invasion de l’Ukraine par les troupes russes à l’aube du 24 février 2022, le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky s’élève immédiatement au-dessus de la mêlée des chefs ordinaires. Sa réaction, ses interventions, son courage attachant, le distinguent des dirigeants que l’on sait habituellement allergiques aux risques. La politique n’est-elle pas l’art de survivre? Ce logiciel est étranger au héros ukrainien.

Il refuse obstinément de quitter Kyiv, demandant des munitions au lieu d’un taxi. Dans un scénario fiction, le président français s’engage à assurer sa sécurité, notamment face à un commando du groupe Wagner (ainsi nommé « en raison de la fascination de son chef et créateur, Dmitri Outkine, néonazi russe, pour Adolf Hitler. Ce même Outkine décoré par Vladimir Poutine dans l’ordre du Courage au Kremlin ») ayant pour mission de lui offrir un billet pour l’éternité. Cette tâche échoit aux hommes et aux femmes du Service Action – des personnages qui n’ont rien à envier à James Bond.

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Volodymyr Zelensky is in a league of his own

On By Marc NadeauIn Leadership, Lisa Rogak, Pegasus Books, Russia, Simon & Schuster Canada, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, WarLeave a comment
Author Lisa Rogak (HarperCollins India)

Last September, I took tremendous pleasure reviewing the insightful book Volodymyr Zelensky in His Own Words (Pegasus Books)by Lisa Rogak and Daisy Gibbons. Despite a hectic schedule, notably due to the deadline of an upcoming book, author Lisa Rogak was generous enough to answer a few questions for this blog. Here is the content of our exchange.

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Ms. Rogak, where did the idea of your book about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyoriginate from?

After the invasion of Ukraine, I started digging into his background. I was curious about this guy who seemed to be a natural-born leader. The more I dug, the more impressed I was. And he was funny! Who knew? I’ve done a slew of these quote books, so I put together a proposal for one on VZ. My agent said I needed a translator to dig for interviews and articles in his native Ukraine. I found Daisy Gibbons, who lives in London, and we quickly found a publisher, Pegasus Books.

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“Putin’s war has forged Ukraine’s sense of nationhood on the battlefield”

On By Marc NadeauIn Catherine the Great, History, Leadership, Mikhail Gorbachev, Russia, Sir Rodric Braithwaite, Ukraine, USSR, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, WarLeave a comment
Ukrainian soldiers (McGill University)

Two of the greatest pleasures I have as a blogger is reading the best books and being in touch with their authors. Few things make me happier than when they accept to answer a few questions for an interview.

I have always been a huge fan of Sir Rodric Braithwaite, and I was extremely happy to read and review his recent and captivating book about the history of Russia at a time when this country is at crossroads.

As a former British Ambassador to Moscow between 1988 and 1992 and a former foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister John Major, he combines the experience of a man who was on the ground when the URSS was on the cusp of exploding and the talent of an inspired historian.

I, therefore, felt extremely privileged when Sir Rodric generously agreed to answer my questions. I trust you will find his answers of tremendous interest.

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Sir Rodric, I’m of the school according to which great leaders make history. In that regard, I would be curious to know which Tsar or leader impresses you the most in the history of Russia and why?

The question of whether history is made by great leaders or impersonal forces will never be settled. It is the intellectual underpinning for Tolstoy’s War and Peace. In my view, you need both. Even the greatest leader cannot buck reality: Bismarck is eloquent on that.

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« Il y a chez cet homme du Churchill et du Clemenceau »

On By Marc NadeauIn Affaires militaires, Éditions Perrin, Chefs d'État en guerre, François Mitterrand, Général Henri Bentégeat, Georges Clemenceau, Guerre, Histoire, Jacques Chirac, Russie, Ukraine, Volodymyr ZelenskyLeave a comment
Le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky parcourant les tranchées qui contribuent à défigurer son pays depuis le début de la guerre lancée par la Russie. (source: Kyiv Post)

Le général d’armée Henri Bentégeat est un militaire français qui a servi en tant que chef de l’état-major particulier du président de la République entre 1999 et 2002 et chef d’état-major des armées de 2002 à 2006. Il est l’auteur de deux excellents livres, Chefs d’État en guerre et Les ors de la République, tous deux publiés chez Perrin.

Je suis privilégié de le compter parmi mes interlocuteurs appréciés. Le général Bentégeat tient à conserver un devoir de réserve, pour ne pas porter ombrage à son successeur, le général Thierry Burckhart. Ce qui est très louable. Il a néanmoins accepté de partager quelques observations à propos du leadership de guerre du président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky.

« Qu’attend-on d’un chef d’État confronté à la guerre », de se questionner réthoriquement l’ancien proche collaborateur des présidents Mitterrand et Chirac? « D’abord, une vision claire des enjeux, ensuite une capacité à se fixer des buts de guerre ambitieux et réalistes, enfin la capacité à mobiliser l’ensemble des ressources du pays pour conduire la guerre; accessoirement, le choix de chefs militaires compétents et loyaux. Selon ces critères, le président ukrainien est parfaitement à la hauteur de ses lourdes responsabilités. »

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The khaki presidency of Volodymyr Zelensky

On By Marc NadeauIn Battle for Kyiv, Leadership, Polity Books, Russia, Serhii Rudenko, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, Warfare, Winston ChurchillLeave a comment
Serhii Rudenko (courtesy of himself)

After the publication of my review of his insightful biography of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, author and political analyst Serhii Rudenko generously accepted my invitation to respond to a few questions for this blog.

In the aftermath of the war launched by Vladimir Putin on February 24th, the offices of the television station where he worked became a bomb shelter. He has moved to another region, which suffered the recent Russian onslaught. The coming winter will undoubtedly be extremely difficult for Ukrainians, but Mr. Rudenko’s resilience and determination to pursue his work is immensely commendable.

I consider myself privileged to be in touch with him and to present you with the content of our discussion.

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Mr. Rudenko, in your book, you depict an administration with a lack of political experience and a very high turnover level. Has the situation stabilized since the beginning of the war?

Yes, it has stabilized. In the conditions of war, Zelensky had to choose the most optimal and effective people. Now we see around the President of Ukraine a team that governs the state in the conditions of war. Hardly anyone in the world has such experience in governing the state. It is not easy.

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How Putin Saved Zelensky

On By Marc NadeauIn History, Leadership, Mikhail Gorbachev, Polity Books, Russia, Serhii Rudenko, Servant of the People, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Warfare, Winston ChurchillLeave a comment

The world “would hardly have heard about [Volodymyr] Zelensky if he had become an engineer, gone into the military, or became a doctor”, writes political commentator Serhii Rudenko in a recent biography of the Ukrainian President (Polity Books). Thanks to the political reality crafted by Servant of the People in which he played the role of a history teacher elected against the odds to lead the country, fiction turned into reality in 2019. And thanks to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to start a war on Ukraine before sunrise on February 24th, the actor turned President has become an icon of resilience in defense of freedom and democracy.

Serhii Rudenko paints the portrait of a leader who was not on sure footing before the war intervened.

After his election, Zelensky broke his promise to distance himself from the nepotism espoused by his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko. “[…] A year after his election, the Poroshenko family was replaced by the Zelensky family – or, more precisely, by the Kvartal 95 Studio.” In other words, those who accompanied him in his showbusiness career, including in his role as President Vasily Petrovych Goloborodko on television.

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“Justin Trudeau inspired me to enter politics” – Volodymyr Zelensky

On By Marc NadeauIn Daisy Gibbons, Justin Trudeau, Leadership, Liza Rodak, Pegasus Books, Russia, Simon & Schuster, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Winston Churchill2 Comments

I’m not the type who runs after books of quotations in bookstores. But I have two exceptions to that rule: Winston Churchill and Volodymyr Zelensky. Because both men decided to face the adverse winds of history at a most crucial time.

Bestselling author Liza Rogak, assisted by translator Daisy Gibbons, opens a window into the Ukrainian President’s worldview in a new book Volodymyr Zelensky in His Own Words (Pegasus Books). “You’ve never seen someone like me”, declared the statesman in April 2019. Coupled with his staunch determination to hold his ground in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin, this might be one of the reasons why he is so popular. “I don’t trust anyone at all” he said a few months later. Who could blame him, when you imagine allies hedging their bets at the beginning of the war to see if he stood a chance or not.

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“Le vrai héros, c’est le peuple ukrainien”

On By Marc NadeauIn Affaires militaires, Charles de Gaulle, Leadership, Régis Genté, Russie, Ukraine, Vladimir Poutine, Volodymyr Zelensky, Winston ChurchillLeave a comment
Soldats ukrainiens en action (source: Harvard Law School)

Régis Genté est spécialiste des cercles du pouvoir en Russie et en Ukraine et il est le coauteur d’une éclairante biographie du président Volodymyr Zelensky que je viens d’ailleurs de recenser. J’apprécie particulièrement son analyse, en raison du recul qu’il prend face au caractère souvent superficiel de l’actualité. Son propos repose sur une lecture renseignée de la situation. Il a aimablement accepté de répondre à mes questions pour cette entrevue dont l’objectif est largement de souligner le 31e anniversaire de l’indépendance de l’Ukraine. Voici donc le contenu de notre échange.

M. Genté, dans votre livre Zelensky : Dans la tête d’un héros, vous brossez le portrait étonnant d’un personnage impulsif, agressif et qui maîtrisait mal ses dossiers à certains moments, notamment devant les médias. Serait-il une bête de communications sans contenu ? Quel a été l’impact de la guerre dans son caractère?

Il y a un peu de cela à la base. Zelensky fait partie de cette génération d’hommes politiques pour qui la communication et l’image jouent un rôle clé. Qui croient qu’avec de la communication, de la production de messages, on peut diriger un pays. Il semble avoir été très longtemps, littéralement jusqu’à la veille de la guerre, déconnecté des réalités, de la réalité des forces qui font ce que la politique est ce qu’elle est en Ukraine.

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