“Those who dare to fail miserably, can achieve greatly.” (John F. Kennedy, Profiles in Courage)

Dear Readers:

In Pushkin’s classic tale Ruslan and Ludmila, we learned the source of the wizard Chernomor’s awesome power: His long beard. Shave off the beard, you tame the wizard.

Modern readers are curious to know: What is the source of Voldemar Zelensky’s amazing chutzpah? Is it his bristly face, his raspy voice, his tight green tee-shirt? Yes, all of these things, plus something else…

To explain the secret of Voldemar’s True Grit, I have this piece by reporter Alexander Grishin. We all remember Voldemar’s selfie, as he bravely declared, while standing on the streets of Kiev: “I’m not afraid of Putin!” And the Civilized World went “ooh!” and “aah!” What a fearless leader! Putin could send a rocket up his ass at any moment, yet here he stands and shakes his fist defiantly without a thought for his own safety!

Grishin: The secret is out. The secret of Ukraine’s [still] President’s amazing courage. Recall that his refusal to evacuate from Kiev engendered rapture in the Western leaders. Who point to him as the example of fortitude and bravery in the face of mortal danger.

It took Israel’s ex-Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, to explain what actually happened.

In a recent interview, the Israeli politician reminisced how, on March 5 of last year he flew to Moscow for a meeting with Russian President Putin. In the course of the conversation, the issue was raised of the Special Military Operation (SMO), and about Zelensky’s fate.

“Putin told me about his de-Nazification plan. Which would also entail the removal of Zelensky. I believe that the life of a [national] leader is priceless. [yalensis: Unless he’s Palestinian or Iranian?] And I understood that Zelensky was under threat. He had been hiding out in his secret bunker. So I asked Putin: Are you planning to kill Zelensky? He replied: No, I am not planning to kill Zelensky. Then I asked him: Will you give me your word that you will not kill Zelensky? And he repeated: We are not going to kill Zelensky.”

Naftali Bennett, leader of the Israeli right-wing Yamina (‘New Right’) party, blows kisses as he greets supporters at his party’s campaign headquarters in the Mediterranean coastal city of Tel Aviv early on March 24, 2021, after the end of voting in the fourth national election in two years. (Photo by Gil COHEN-MAGEN / AFP) (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images)

" data-medium-file="https://awfulavalanche.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/naftali_bennett.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://awfulavalanche.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/naftali_bennett.jpg?w=612" src="https://awfulavalanche.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/naftali_bennett.jpg?w=612" alt="" class="wp-image-39171" width="297" height="201" srcset="https://awfulavalanche.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/naftali_bennett.jpg?w=297 297w, https://awfulavalanche.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/naftali_bennett.jpg?w=594 594w, https://awfulavalanche.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/naftali_bennett.jpg?w=150 150w, https://awfulavalanche.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/naftali_bennett.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 297px) 100vw, 297px" style="background: transparent; border-width: initial; border-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; height: auto; max-width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box;">

Bennett was relieved to hear this promise, repeated twice. Moreover, he decided to share his relief with Zelensky himself; give the latter some peace of mind:

“After my meeting with Putin, I was in my car driving from the Kremlin to the airport. I hooked up with Zelensky on What’s App. I told him, I just came from a meeting with Putin, and he said he wasn’t going to kill you. He asked me, Are you sure? And I told him, One hundred percent sure. He’s not going to kill you. Two hours later, Zelensky emerged from his secret bunker, returned to his office, and selfied himself on his phone with the declaration: I am not afraid!“

Grishin: What a hero! Zelensky is something more than a simple comedian: He is an actual clown! A bloodthirsty, cowardly clown, all puffed up with his own importance, like a balloon just waiting to be popped.

Dancer Derek Rencher as Kashchei in ‘The Firebird’ at the Royal Opera House, December 1986. (Photo by John Downing/Getty Images)

" data-medium-file="https://awfulavalanche.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/kashchei.jpg?w=197" data-large-file="https://awfulavalanche.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/kashchei.jpg?w=401" src="https://awfulavalanche.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/kashchei.jpg?w=401" alt="" class="wp-image-39175" width="232" height="354" srcset="https://awfulavalanche.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/kashchei.jpg?w=232 232w, https://awfulavalanche.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/kashchei.jpg?w=98 98w, https://awfulavalanche.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/kashchei.jpg?w=197 197w, https://awfulavalanche.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/kashchei.jpg 401w" sizes="(max-width: 232px) 100vw, 232px" style="background: transparent; border-width: initial; border-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; height: auto; max-width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box;">

One needs to recall that Prime Minister Bennett was the “go-between” between Ukraine and Russia at the start of the SMO. And now that he is spilling the beans, his revelations do not end with this tidbit about Zelensky’s faux-courage:

“After this event, I flew to Germany, because Germany and France are the major players in Europe. In order to achieve any agreement, we need them onboard. I was busy compiling protocols, what had happened so far, and what were our next steps. Which disagreements had emerged during the negotiations, and what steps would be required of everyone. Once I got to Berlin, we brought the Americans up to speed on everything that was going on. Also Macron and Boris Johnson. Each leader had his own point of view. The leaders could be divided into two camps: Those who held the hard line, We must give Putin a resounding rebuff; and those who held to a more moderate position.

“Boris Johnson held to the most radical point of view. Whereas Macron and Scholtz were more pragmatic, shall we say. And Biden supported both approaches. But the West as a whole took the position that it was necessary to crush Putin, and not to negotiate with him. All of my activities at that time were coordinated, to the minutest degree, with the USA, and with Germany and France. And it was they who scuttled the negotiations. I am convinced that we actually had a decent chance of success. If they had not scuttled the negotiation process…”

Grishin: In this one interview, the former Prime Minister of Israel has brought crashing down the entire Western propaganda meme about “Evil Putin”. And, as regards Zelensky’s “courage”, well that too is a myth. Hidden very deeply and kept secret, like the secret how to kill the “immortal wizard”, Koshchei. You remember that story, right? You must find the needle in the egg, inside the duck, inside the hare, locked in a chest, buried under the oak tree, located on an invisible island, etc. Somewhere around the same place where Zelensky stores his mythical courage.