Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is aware of the criticism leveled at his deputy chiefs of staff, Rostyslav Shurma and Oleh Tatarov, but has no intention of dismissing them, political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told NV Radio on Dec. 20.
After successfully taking Ukraine through the initial stages of the all-out war, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi found themselves the country’s two most popular – and arguably, most important – people. What started as rumors soon poured out as a stream of reports in major publications in Ukraine and abroad.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been able to build a sustainable authoritarian state, with its economy surviving the shocks of a full-scale war and the following economic sanctions. The key to Putin's success is a team of talented liberal economists who run the state's monetary and fiscal policy. Now, they play a vital role in keeping Putin's Russia afloat.