Real Leadership

Most of my posts are a bit long. Not this time. I just want to say that while there are many examples of authentic leadership in business, government, and other walks of life, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sets the most recent example for us all to admire.

Zelensky didn’t candy-coat the dire situation once Russia's unprovoked and premeditated attack on his peaceful nation began. Instead, he rallied fellow Ukrainians and stayed home rather than flee the country. And when he was offered safe passage out of Ukraine, he said, “I need ammunition, not a ride.”

It is now clear that Vladimir Putin badly miscalculated the Ukrainians' resolve to fight and protect their homeland. Condemnation of Putin's brazen aggression has been swift and universal in all countries not under authoritarian rule. Only those with amoral judgment or who have something to fear from Putin would dare to say that the Russian president is a genius or that his acts of terror have been either savvy or smart. The truth is that Putin is nothing more than a megalomaniacal, ruthless KGB thug and killer who ultimately will face a reckoning just as many other despots have in the past.

My thoughts and best wishes go out to the courageous Russians protesting the war at home, including Alexei Navalny who has been imprisoned by Putin for the past year, and particularly to the brave souls fighting in Ukraine for their country's independence, freedom, and democracy. While we all watch and applaud the heroic Ukrainian resistance to mounting Russian tyranny orchestrated by the Kremlin, I fear that the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe will only worsen in the coming weeks and months as Russian war crimes marked by indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians and non-military infrastructure increase.

Finally, I sincerely hope those fearless freedom fighters will ultimately prevail no matter how long it takes. May God and ultimate peace be with them all!