Putin dead? Zelensky says he is ‘not sure whether President of Russia is still alive’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed he does not know who to speak to in Russia regarding peace because he is “not sure whether Vladimir Putin is still alive”. Speaking via videolink on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, the Ukrainian President questioned whether it was Putin “particularly making the decisions” in Russia, implying that recent sightings of the autocrat in St Petersburg could have been a body double.
Mr Zelensky said: “Right now I don’t understand who to talk to. I am not sure whether the president of Russia is still alive. I don’t understand that he’s still alive or that it is him particularly making decisions.”
On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin visited a St Petersburg WW2 memorial for the 80th anniversary of a Soviet battle with the Nazis.
He was later pictured at a weapons factory, addressing its workers and several war veterans.
The day before, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was planning to make a state address following his factory tour, though that did not materialise.
More than 200 rallies are expected around France on Thursday, including a large one in Paris involving all France’s unions.
Police unions opposed to the retirement reform are also taking part; those who are not protesting are bracing for potential violence if extremist groups join the demonstrations.
Mr Zelensky’s comments are unlikely to be a genuine suggestion that his Russian counterpart is dead, rather they could be a nod to the fact that Putin has been noticeably more withdrawn from public-facing duties in the last few months.
He cancelled his beloved annual press conference at the end of last year, which in 2021 saw him speak for nearly four hours, as well as his state address and several factory visits.
Experts have suggested his withdrawal could be due to a fear for his safety, a claim that has been bolstered by reports that he is using agents of the Russian secret service (FSB) to pose as civilians in photoshoots to avoid having to engage with the public.
While understanding civilian sentiment towards the war in Russia is difficult, owing to the lack of transparent polls or ability to voice dissent, the mass exodus of citizens following the mobilisation speech last September and the concurrent protests in Moscow suggest a growing disdain for the “special military operation”.
Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky bared his frustration about not obtaining enough tanks from some Western countries to help Ukraine defend against Russian forces.
The Ukrainian leader, at the same breakfast on Thursday offered a veiled critique of countries like Germany, Poland and the United States – crucial supporters of Ukraine – that have nonetheless hesitated about sending tanks.
Mr Zelensky bemoaned a “lack of specific weaponry” and said that to win the war, “we cannot just do it with motivation and morale”.
Through an interpreter, he told the Victor Pinchuk Foundation breakfast that “I would like to thank again for the assistance from our partners. But at the same time, there are times where we shouldn’t hesitate or we shouldn’t compare when someone says, ‘I will give tanks if someone else will also share his tanks’.”
He also said air defence was “our weakness” in light of targeted Russian strikes, including use of Iranian-made drones, and reiterated his call for supplies of long-range artillery to fire at Russian forces in Ukrainian territory – not fire into Russia itself.
Ukraine has for months sought to be supplied with heavier tanks, including the US Abrams and the German-made Leopard 2 tanks, but Western leaders have been treading carefully.
The United Kingdom announced last week that it will send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, and France has said it would send AMX-10 RC armoured combat vehicles to Ukraine, designated “light tanks” in French.
Poland and the Czech Republic have provided Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukrainian forces. Poland has expressed readiness to provide a company of Leopard tanks but has said it would only do so as part of a larger international coalition of tank aid to Kyiv.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who attended the breakfast, said, “Get them the tanks, get Volodymyr Zelensky whatever he needs”.
