Zelensky was a bait and switch. Zelensky ran as a peace candidate who was in favor of religious freedom. That is why he won so handily against Poroshenko. The Ukrainian people voted for peace and for the protection of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. What they got was a devastating war and persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by a Zelensky who now governs as a dictator. The average Ukrainian can’t even punish Zelensky at the ballot box for his actions as he cancelled the presidential election. No election, no accountability to the people he lied to. If you want to “defend Democracy” in Ukraine, then Step 1 is to provide an opportunity for the Ukrainian people to dump a dictatorial serial liar, persecutor of Christians, and incompetent war criminal.

Ukraine is not unique in the “bait and switch” department. In the U.S., George W Bush was elected in 2000 after having campaigned against the interventionist policies of the Clinton Era. Americans thought they were voting for peace and for focusing on domestic issues. Whoops. Obama was elected in 2008 as a peace candidate. He went on to become a world class mass murderer, even setting Syria ablaze after wrecking Libya. In 2016, and again in 2024, Americans have elected Donald Trump on an “America First” platform that promises to keep us out of any more forever wars. Are we getting fooled again, just like the poor Ukrainians were with Zelensky, and just as we were with so many former presidents? That is a question we must all keep at the forefront of our minds. https://orthodoxreflections.com/electoral-bait-and-switch-the-cautionary-tale-of-ukraine/