Zelenskyy Bypasses Kremlin to Address War Weary Russians Directly

(KYIV, UKRAINE) – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has published an open letter to the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, a document widely viewed in Ukraine not as a genuine negotiation offer but as a strategic communication aimed squarely at the Russian public and international observers.

Anna from Ukraine, a prominent Ukrainian vlogger, provided analysis of the letter in her latest daily war update. As your Ukrainian friend, I tell you, nobody in Ukraine sees this letter as a real possibility for an agreement or a ceasefire because Putin wants to continue this war. Putin connects this war with the survival of his regime. And the real target audience of this letter is Russians, she stated. She added that many politicians around the world who sometimes now feel that Ukraine is getting too strong can potentially blame us for the desire to continue this war.

The vlogger stressed that in Ukraine, we dream about the end of this war. We pray for it. We fight for it. But Russia will continue attacking Ukrainian cities and your countries in a hybrid way as long as Putin has the resources. So, we will continue implementing our only peace plan that is to demilitarise this country, but we also demonstrate the goodwill of the Ukrainian people.

What I loved about this letter is the change of tone and an amount of problems that President Zelenskyy could send to Putin showing the weakness of Russia underlining the problems that now more and more Russians see, she noted. The effect is going to be very serious because with explosions with economic problems right now even the Ukrainian president exposes this in the written form that trust me everyone discusses on the Russian kitchens and everyone in Putin’s circle that becomes more and more worried about the future of the so called Kremlin elite and oligarchs after Russia is defeated.

The letter’s publication was timed to coincide with the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, an event intended to project Russian strength. Ukraine managed to take the focus of attention first during the beginning day with attacks on military sites and oil refineries in St. Petersburg and smoke and air raid alerts and cancelled flights. So everyone in St. Petersburg spoke about this and on the second day everyone spoke about the letter of President Zelenskyy and Putin had to provide some answers which were totally unsatisfactory, Anna explained. We managed to control the situation from this cognitive communicative point of view and thumbs up for that.

Zelenskyy’s letter directly addresses Russian fatigue, not Ukrainian fatigue, Anna observed. I don’t feel fatigue about Ukraine or Russian war in Ukraine but he speaks about the fatigue of Russia and war in Russia because we clearly see the public opinion is shifting and people who were super supportive of the so called special military operation when imagined it developing only on the Russian side now keep criticizing Putin and blaming him for problems with cash for economic problems, for no salaries, for internet shutdowns, and now for real war, even in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

They know that air defence is failing even when Putin shuts down Telegram because they smell it. They see it. So, people are getting very tired with Putin’s economic and military mismanagement. They don’t want this war to continue, she stated. Zelenskyy shows them that everyone sees your so called Kremlin dictator is weak and we know it and we show it and we will keep weakening his regime.

The letter contains a pointed reference to Putin’s time in power, using the phrase that 26 years is enough to be tired of someone. Anna noted that internal Kremlin dynamics are also at play. On Anna Danlychuk channel we have recently discussed the internal fight between FSB who wants to preserve Putin’s regime and the presidential administrations who see how unpopular Putin is and actually want to substitute him and this way remain at power. So they also read this letter.

Zelenskyy enumerates the problems Russia faces, including explosions and the war now reaching Russian territory. We have a lot of proof and you all know it and Russians know it and he makes it visible. When it is written when it is discussed it’s impossible to deny the fact, Anna said. He offers a ceasefire and negotiations knowing that Putin most likely will deny it but Russians will know same as Putin’s inner circle will know that we did offer it.

At the moment eight out of ten Russian oil refineries are not properly operating. They are seriously damaged by the Ukrainian drones and Putin says our air defence is working well. How well is it working when all of St. Petersburg was burning, she asked. Russians may be weak, may be frightened, may think of themselves as small people, but they are not stupid, especially when this special military operation now develops on their streets.

Anna also highlighted a significant shift in the Russian dictator’s rhetoric. Commenting on this letter, Putin stopped speaking about Zelenskyy as illegitimate, which he did for a very long period of time because he sees that Zelenskyy is respected, supported, and there is nothing he can do. Regarding recent diplomacy, Zelenskyy stated there is no special spirit of encourage. There were no agreements, no compromises, and no one is prepared to give Ukrainian territories to Russia, especially now when half of Russia is covered in smoke from their burning arsenals, military production facilities, and perhaps banking system because Russians keep withdrawing money.

Anna concluded that this letter was not meant for Putin personally because Putin is an irrational being that knows nothing about the reality hides in bunkers lost in his obsessions. The only way to end this war is to destroy the resources that Russia has for this war. That’s the only effective way. And we keep implementing this peace plan. She added a note on demonstrating goodwill, observing that some international voices suggest Ukraine may be defending itself too effectively. I’m sorry. There is no such thing, especially after that many crimes constantly committed by the Russian invaders. We need to deliver justice. We need to restore our borders and the international law.

I’m sure 2026 will be a very difficult year for the Kremlin dictator, Anna stated.