If you have been monitoring the coverage of the conflict in Ukraine, it is amply clear that a narrative is being pushed.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is being compared to Winston Churchill during World War II; he is leading his people during perilous times to become an inspiring figure.  He refused a safe passage offer from the U.S. with the quip: "I need ammunition, not a ride."  He streams videos from the deserted streets of Ukraine and posts photos with his Cabinet.  Photos of Zelensky surface in military gear on the battlefront.  To sum it up, Zelensky is being portrayed as Churchill, Rambo, and a social media influencer all rolled into one. 

Not to be left behind, a former Miss Ukraine and the first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelensky, reportedly joined the army.  There are teary moments of Ukrainian soldiers bidding farewell to their families and children in the streets waving at them as they depart for war.  There were photos of Russian soldiers holding Ukrainian girls as hostages.  We see harrowing footage of injured Ukrainian children, slain Ukrainian soldiers, and explosions.  We see courage as a brave Ukrainian child stands up to a Russian soldier, almost ordering him to leave her country.

It is all so poignant and inspiring until you fact-check the images.

The photos of Zelensky in military gear were from February 11, 2021, and April 9, 2021.  The photo of the Russian soldier holding Ukrainian girls at gunpoint was a 2005 photo from the West Bank.  Neither the first lady of Ukraine nor the former Miss Ukraine is joining the armed forces.  The teary farewell of Ukrainian soldiers amid the invasion was actually a photo of the happy homecoming moment of U.S. Marines.  Ukrainian children sent off to the army for war with Russia was an old image from 2016.  Then there is a video that shows a young Ukrainian girl standing up to a Russian soldier — which is, in fact, a video shot in 2012 in the West Bank.  A video from Syria was falsely shared as a Russian attack on Ukraine.  A heartbreaking photo of an injured child from the Syrian war was shared as the victim of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.  A poignant moment from the movie was shared as scenes from battle-torn Ukraine

Such instances are numerous, and all show the Ukrainian side in a good light, which makes it clear who the creators are.

They prove the adage that truth is the first casualty of war. 

It is also interesting to note that Zelensky has been seen on deserted dark streets of Ukraine or in indoor locations but never in public places in Ukraine where the date can be verified.  Now, there is a possibility that he remains behind closed doors for security reasons. 

An amazing 91 percent of Ukrainians approve of Zelensky's performance.  This is good news for Zelensky, who was struggling with just 28 percent of public approval after the pandemic. 

The videos keep flooding the zone, and the media dutifully report them.  Yesterday, a moving video appeared to show a captured Russian soldier breaking down in tears as he sips tea and Ukrainians call his mother to tell her he's OK.

Remarkable video circulating on Telegram. Ukrainians gave a captured Russian soldier food and tea and called his mother to tell her he’s ok. He breaks down in tears. Compare the compassion shown here to Putin’s brutality. pic.twitter.com/KtbHad8XLm

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) March 2, 2022

Even news organizations such as the BBC use mobile phone footage whose authenticity they cannot verify.  They introduce it with a disclaimer, but the question remains: why show it if it cannot be verified?

Let's have a look at Zelensky and his tenure in office, so far, before the war broke.

Zelensky won the presidential election in 2019 after much of his campaign was allegedly bankrolled by one of Ukraine's richest — and most corrupt — oligarchs, Igor Kolomoisky.

Corruption remains rampant and deep-rooted in Ukraine.  There are allegations that new anti-oligarch laws were used to restrict the activities of oligarchs who do not support Zelensky.  Corruption charges aimed at Zelensky's main rival, Petro Poroshenko, his predecessor as president, are regarded as politically motivated by observers.  There has been an allegation of considerable corruption and cronyism.

During recent months, there has been a surge in attempts by Zelensky to control the media.  This included pressure on publication owners, demands for political talk shows, attempts to cancel the screening of a documentary film, and threats of criminal prosecution against media outlets and journalists. 

Over the years, neo-Nazism has earned the Ukrainian government's implicit endorsement.  The Ukrainian National Guard is already home to the Azov Battalion, which has neo-Nazi leanings.  The logo of the Azov Battalion comprises two neo-Nazi emblems — the Wolfsangel and the Sonnenrad.  The National Guard of Ukraine has shared a video on its Twitter account that shows Azov fighters greasing bullets with pig fat, ostensibly to be used against Muslim Chechens deployed to their country as Russia steps up its military assault on Ukraine.

Following Russia's invasion, there have been reports of the Ukrainian government using citizens as human shields. 

Indian students described the increasingly violent, antagonistic, and racist behavior meted out to them by Ukrainian authorities at the borders. There have also been charges of racism.  African, Asian and Caribbean people, many of whom are students, have shared reports and footage of themselves being prevented from leaving the country owing to their race.

We must remember that those cheering the Ukrainian regime are still claiming that President Trump colluded with Russia's President Vladimir Putin to rig the 2016 elections and that the protests on Jan. 6, 2020, that went overboard were an insurrection.  They now baselessly blame Trump for this conflict because he is "weakening NATO."  The long-term goal is, was, and will always remain to prevent Trump from winning the White House in 2024.

Beyond the petty Democrat politics, we must obviously sympathize with regular Ukrainians.  Their suffering is unfathomable.  They have lost their loved ones, their homes, their places of work, sources of income, and hope.  They are living in fear.  Families have been torn apart.  Some will have to live as refugees in neighboring nations.  They may suffer from PTSD apart from physical impairments.

So what do we make of the Ukrainian regime and President Zelensky?  Could the conflict have transformed him into a different man, or is this all a charade?

Let the conflict end or recede, and let those affected by the conflict be interviewed.  Let historians and documentarians gather information from all sides.  Let everything be judged dispassionately and objectively.  Only then can we pass a verdict.  The media and the public must restrain the urge to confer members of the Ukrainian regime with superlative epithets merely based on social media posts or poignant utterances from a former actor.

Global powers must be cautious while arming the Ukrainians without supervision.  These arms could be misused or sold after the conflict is over, and the millions may end up in personal accounts.  Aid has to be sent, and aid workers must make sure the aid reaches the people directly and is not siphoned off by middlemen.

For every bit of information we receive from any of the media, including social media, we have to have a healthy amount of skepticism but an open mind while we hope for peace.

Image: Twitter screen shot.