The two men in question are Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, hero and zero.
Volodymyr is leading his nation with the kind of courage that no modern Western politician has ever shown, nor, I’m convinced, can ever show. By contrast, his namesake Vladimir is cowering in his Urals bunker, 1,300 miles away from the action, just in case.
Just in case of what? A Nato missile hitting the Kremlin? Ukrainian special forces going on a mission to kill him, the way he sent out his Chechen bandits to murder Zelensky and everyone close to him?
If you insist that none of this is likely, you miss the point. Even if the probability of a serious risk to his precious person is measured in the thousandths of one per cent, that probability would be too high for Putin. Like most bullies, he is a coward.
If the two men are separated by a mere 1,300 miles geographically, morally they are light years apart. The moral swamp inhabited by Putin lacks novelty appeal – I’ve known everything there is to know about him since his name first appeared in the news. But I’m genuinely surprised to see Volodymyr Zelensky soar to such moral heights.
He wasn’t especially good as a peacetime leader. Then neither, for that matter, was Winston Churchill. But both men came into their heroic own when guns, not politicians, began to do all the talking.
Churchill’s heroism was mostly moral; Zelensky’s, also physical. What is it about this young Jewish man, who first became popular as a comedian, that drives him to the front line, rallying his nation to fight for its freedom, its very life?
When in 2004 Ukrainian people rose against Putin’s puppet government (a genuine popular revolution that Putin’s acolyte Hitchens describes as a ‘putsch’ in the hope of evoking Nazi associations), its head Yanukovych fled in a Russian plane, never to be heard of again – this though his life was in no immediate danger.
You can be sure that Putin will try to do the same when his time comes, as I pray it will soon. But Zelensky isn’t running even though Putin has sent out a Chechen assassination squad with the specific task of murdering the Ukrainian president.
That vile attempt has failed. Ukrainian forces ambushed the Chechen hit squad and blew its 56-tank column apart with the anti-tank weapons provided by Nato. Hundreds died, including the Chechen general in command.
As an aside, there I was, believing Messrs Farage, Hitchens, Zemmour et al. that, unlike our own impotent governments, Col. Putin is an implacable enemy of fundamentalist Islam. Yet his Chechen murderers were photographed praying with their imam before the mission, their bushy beards touching their camouflaged thighs. Now their 72 virgins await, and I hope they have enough of their bits left to do those lasses justice.
When Zelensky addressed his nation from the front line, saying, “This may be the last time you’ll see me alive”, he wasn’t pulling a PR trick. He leaves that activity for his Western colleagues to indulge in. Zelensky was ready to look death in the face, as if saying, “Death, where is thy sting?”
I don’t know about you, but that was the first time in my life that a politician’s words truly moved me. Suddenly I knew how Britons must have felt when listening to Churchill’s “blood, toil, tears and sweat” speech on 10 May, 1940.
Since I’ve promised Penelope not to swear in writing (she gave up long ago the effort of extending that injunction to everyday speech), I shan’t comment at length on the mantras being repeated by Putin’s British quislings.
Nor shall I try to get to the bottom of the tastelessness, intellectual paucity and moral decrepitude required to repeat at this time their pro-Putin apologetics, along the lines of “it’s all Nato’s fault.” Such an undertaking would take Shakespeare’s genius, not my modest ability.
One ‘argument’, however, is worth mentioning because it’s a ubiquitous component of their shamanistic chants. Instead of being tough on Russia, they say, we should concentrate on our real, more powerful, enemy – China.
The logic is staggering in its implications. They seem to be saying that, because Xi isn’t our friend, we should let Putin rape any European country he fancies.
One enemy at a time, chaps, if you please. And I hope it will be one at a time, for Xi may be sufficiently emboldened by the West’s limp-wristed sanctions on Putin to launch an attack on Taiwan. But, thank God, he hasn’t yet. So I suggest we follow the example set by Teddy Kennedy in 1969 and drive off that bridge when we get to it.
I don’t know how long the Ukraine can hold out. Nor do I know how close the Russian invaders have come to taking the 50,000 casualties Putin reportedly regards as acceptable.
If it’s true that the war is costing Russia £15 billion a day and her armament stocks are running out, perhaps there is a flicker of hope that the fascisoid aggressor will retreat, tail between his legs. Or maybe even a flicker of hope is too much.
Putin’s stormtroopers are clearly prepared to do to Kiev what they did to Grozny (see the photo), the capital of the same Chechnya that now sends its murder squads after Zelensky. Grozny was inhabited by Russian speakers, 80 per cent of them actually Russian. That didn’t stop Putin then, as it probably won’t stop him now.
But unlike Grozny, which was only founded in 1818, Kiev is an ancient city that has retained some lovely vestiges of its past beauty. What Putin is perpetrating now is therefore not just a war crime or a crime against humanity. It’s also a crime against the same Orthodox culture he professes to worship.
If you still harbour doubts about who’s on the right side in this war, just compare Zelensky’s handling of it with Putin’s. That done, I’m sure you’ll join me in shouting: Slava Ukraine! Geroiam slava!
The words came to me not in Ukrainian but in Russian, which is how I’ve transliterated the battle cry of Ukrainian patriotism: Glory to the Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!
And, may I add, glory to one particular hero: Volodymyr Zelensky.
If you were a younger man, would you volunteer to join the fray, Mr Boot? I can’t imagine the Ukrainians being as picky as the Israelis.
You do put me on the spot, don’t you? The answer is, probably. I tend to act on my convictions.
I would certainly like to see the UK offer some realistic support to the Ukrainians. Russia is behaving abominably and without adequate reasons.
“What is it about this young Jewish man, who first became popular as a comedian, that drives him to the front line, rallying his nation to fight for its freedom, its very life?”
Irony of all irony I suppose. Not too far from downtown Kiev is Babi Yar. 30,000 Jews massacred their by the Nazi. NOW a Jew saves the country?
It is unfortunate that I read this article. As a listener and reader of Alexander But, I had hoped for insight and accuracy. Instead, I found a profound misunderstanding of the ongoing situation and of Russia itself.
Allow me to begin with an apology: I am Chechen. Yes, it seems that merely being Chechen requires an apology these days. Before the war in Ukraine, we were labeled as terrorists and bandits for daring to resist “Democratic Christian Russia.” Now, during the war in Ukraine, we remain labeled as terrorists and bandits. Strange, isn’t it? The world convinced us we were wrong and that Russia was the “good” side. Even Ukraine, back then, was aligned with Russia.
What strikes me as equally strange is the way discussions about Chechnya are often framed. When people refer to our struggles, the dates they mention are typically 1994, 1999, or 2000. But the war did not last a mere handful of years—it spanned nearly 25 years. And the terror against my people has not truly ended to this day. No nation in the 21st century has fought against Russia as long or as persistently as the Chechens. For context, our population was around one million before the war began in 1994.
You write that Putin sent “Chechen bandits” to Ukraine. Are they bandits because they are Chechen? Or are they considered bandits because they are legitimate members of the Russian National Guard? Members of this force, by definition, are not trained or equipped for the kind of operations being alleged. This narrative, pushed by the Ukrainian government and “good Russians,” is deeply flawed.
If Putin had genuinely wanted to assassinate Volodymyr Zelensky, he would not have relied on Chechen troops. He would have deployed a missile strike, as was done to assassinate Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudayev. Alternatively, he could have sent specialized units like Alpha, Vympel, or GRU operatives—forces trained precisely for such missions. It defies basic military logic to send police officers, even if they happen to be Chechen by nationality, on a mission of that scale. Anyone with a rudimentary understanding of military operations or Russia’s political structure would recognize this.
Furthermore, Chechen units do not possess tanks, as they are part of the Russian National Guard. But let’s entertain the claim that these are mixed forces. You mention the death of a general—was this a Russian general or a Chechen one? The truth is, no general died because there was no general present.
Yet the way the conflict is framed in Western media, Ukrainian outlets, and even among “good Russians,” it often seems as though Chechnya is waging war against Ukraine, rather than Russia. Let’s also recall the remarks of the Pope himself, who referred to Chechens as “monsters” and grouped us with other minorities—yet carefully avoided criticizing the Russian people or Putin. Apparently, because they are Christians, they are considered the “right” people.
Reading such narratives, one begins to question the moral foundation of organized religion itself. (For the record, I am an atheist—lest anyone accuse me of being an Islamist. Not that it matters; I am Chechen, and that alone invites judgment.)
Regarding Grozny, it is important to correct some misconceptions. During the war, the entire Russian-speaking population of the city left. Those who stayed were sheltered by Chechens in villages, where they could wait out the carpet bombings. Of course, no one will believe this, so perhaps it is pointless to mention. Among those who left, none wanted to fight for Chechen land. They knew their place on our land was as settlers—brought here by Soviet or Tsarist authorities. The dead were primarily Chechens, with only a few exceptions among the elderly of other nationalities.
And here’s a detail often overlooked: modern Grozny was built on the site of ancient Chechen villages, long before settlers arrived. These villages were destroyed, and the settlements that replaced them likely stood as long as Kyiv itself. But of course, this is dismissed—it’s just Chechens, after all.
Now, Putin may once again blame the Chechen people, perhaps even accusing us of pushing Russia into this war with Ukraine. The cycle will likely repeat: agreements will be signed, and another war will erupt—once again supported by “progressive” nations like the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Israel. The Russian population will cheer. They will seize another opportunity to plunder Chechen property, as they have done before. It will feel, to them, like a crusade.
And, as always, the Ukrainian media and Russian opposition will justify these actions. Over the past three years, I have seen a growing wave of anti-Chechen hysteria in both Ukrainian media and Russian opposition circles.
Ultimately, I am confident that Putin will deceive everyone once more. He will win the war against Ukraine—there is no doubt in my mind. But when that victory comes, it will be credited entirely to Putin, to Russia, and to the Russian people. As for the Chechens? We will remain invisible, except when convenient to vilify.
As they say: Woe to the vanquished.
You are sorry to have read this article, and I’m sorry to have re-read it. Written just days after the start of the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, it’s overly emotional and therefore not very good.
Yet no offence was meant, and I’m sad some was taken. First, when reporting events as they unfold, I have to rely on our newspapers, for lack of my own correspondents on the ground. If they get some details wrong, then so do I.
Also, you must realise that I regard as bandits any participants in the Russian aggression, regardless of their ethnicity. Kadyrov’s gang is evil because it’s also Putin’s gang, not because it’s Chechen.
Then again, I think you are selling the Chechens short by claiming that their struggle for independence has been going on only for 25 years. In fact, it’s at least 200 years older than that, and the Chechens, along with their neighbours, fought valiantly against not only Yeltsyn and Putin, but also against Yermolov and Paskevich. And my sympathy has always been with the Chechens for as long as I remember.
In 1995 I visited a Chechen DP camp at Khasavyurt, on the Dagestani border, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so moved by human misery. I’ve written quite a few articles based on the stories of Russian brutality I heard there, and in general, if you type ‘Chechnya’ into my ‘search’ function, you’ll see that I’m invariably sympathetic to the Chechen cause.
But I’m not sympathetic to Kadyrov and his gang, for reasons that have nothing to do with their ethnicity or religion. Unless you think Chechens can do no wrong, I think you’ll have to agree with me on that.
I understand yout frustration at great Russian chauvinism aimed against the Chechens and other people people from the same region. But I’m a wrong target for your slings and arrows, much as I understand why you have to launch them.