(EDM) The second round of the presidential elections in Ukraine, held last Sunday (April 21), was a rather unconventional democratic exercise. And for millions of keen followers in Russia, who looked at it through the distorting lens of their mainstream media, it was oddly disconcerting. For one thing, the incumbent, Petro Poroshenko, who was elected amidst the severe war crisis in 2014 and performed better than expected, was convincingly defeated. For another, the challenger, Volodymyr Zelensky—vaguely familiar to many Russians thanks to his starring role in a popular television show—proved that a person with zero political experience could gain massive public support in a short time. Russian propaganda is usually keen to present political processes in Ukraine, as well as in the Balkans, as shrewdly manipulated by the United States. Yet, in this instance, it was unable to credibly spin any conspiracy theories about Western sponsorship (Kommersant, April 22). Difficult as it was, many Russians had to internalize the uncomfortable conclusions that Ukrainians really had an opportunity to make a free and considered choice and ended up replacing their leader, whom they had grown tired of. […]
Read More © Eurasia Daily Monitor
