Zelensky uses social media as a modern war weapon against Russia

Since Russia started a full-fledge invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Ukraine’s comedian-turned-president Volodymyr Zelensky has quickly emerged as a symbol of resistance and unification, even among his toughest opponents.

The 44-year-old has addressed the country in a succession of self-shot videos taken on his phone and shared on social media, often wearing a casual green military T-shirt.

Volodymyr Zelensky, a man forced into the deadliest center of Europe’s bloodiest battle in over 80 years, may be the world’s most beloved figure right now, due in part to his comfort with social media’s airy immediacy.

Standing on the streets of his country’s capital city, publicly opposing Russia’s military forces, one of the world’s most dangerous armies, after informing another superpower, the United States, that he requires ammunition rather than a ride to safety.

Social media: A new-age war weapon for Ukrainians

President Zelensky and regular Ukrainians using social media to highlight the conflict’s brutality, as well as propagandists spreading false information.

Tiktok at Forefront

The Chinese-owned app has proven to be particularly well-suited to chronicling the conflict, which was previously dominated by dancing and lip-syncing videos.

Despite the significant amount of disinformation spreading on TikTok, Darren Davidson, the editor-in-chief, claimed the platform has been essential in documenting the fight.

He told The New York Times, “This is the first war to play out on TikTok.”

In a speech directed at Russian people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called to ‘TikTokers’ as a group that may assist stop the war. Some TikTokers continued the conversation where the politician had left off.

Zelensky is fully aware of the significance and power of social media. He started flooding platforms with straightforward, emotional, and incredibly powerful statements, as well as photos and videos of himself and his administration amid the ravaged streets of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.

The smart use of social media and the way Zelensky’s team arranged connection with individuals across the country are responsible for the majority of Zelensky’s achievement.

In one such video recorded outside the capital, Kyiv, last Friday, accompanied by his closest advisers and states defiantly: “We’re all here.” Our armed forces have arrived. The citizens of society have arrived. We’re all here to protect our country’s independence, and we’ll keep it that way.”

It’s almost as if the Ukrainian President has spent most of his life practicing for this precise moment, in a world where YouTube, Tik Tok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and the rest strongly affect reality.

It’s just not only Donald Trump….

President Trump may have been the first to abandon traditional media in favor of newer technologies like Twitter, but it was Zelensky who took this concept to its rational end and vlogged his way to the premium and it actually worked. During what would become a controversial call discussion between the US and Ukrainian presidents on July 25, 2019, Zelensky said that he had studied Trump’s approach.

“I need weapons, not a ride”

Zelensky became a hero.  When he turned down an American offer to relocate him and his family to a safer area, he set the example of a genuine leader, stating, “I need weapons, not a ride.”

Ukraine’s phone companies were instructed to block network access to phones from Russia and Belarus, preventing invading troops from posting videos or sending messages online.

Locals were urged to remove road signs in order to confuse Russian forces, according to Ukrainian officials on Facebook.

Google, Meta, and Apple have all taken efforts to tackle Russian disinformation, which has shown to be very effective in the past. At the same time, these platforms have exposed rising Russian resistance to Mr. Putin’s war and allowed Ukrainian influencers to show the bravery of a country where no one appears to be surrendering, from remote villages to metropolises.

President Zelensky’s social media outreach

During the war, his social media following grew significantly. He has used his platforms to deliver constant updates and to address international leaders openly. Zelensky has 14.1 million Instagram followers and 4.7 million Twitter followers as of now.

Ukrainians remained united

It will be a massive struggle for the president to maintain his high-energy social media presence and high-level diplomatic ties in the face of such a large-scale military invasion and threats to his own life. However, for the time being, Ukrainians appear to remain united behind their president.