# Has Zelensky ever addressed the people of Russia directly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Tags:** ukraine-invasion\ **Created:** [July 24, 2023, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-zelensky-ever-addressed-the-people-of-russia-directly/987459 "2023-07-24T10:17:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2023, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-zelensky-ever-addressed-the-people-of-russia-directly/987459/1 "2023-07-24T10:17:11Z")
In his speeches and public statements for international consumption, has Zelensky ever addressed the people of Russia (as opposed to the regime or the soldiers) directly? (It would indicate whether he and his government see the Russian people as any kind of potential factor in the postwar order.) If so, what has he said? (The mayor of Odesa just yesterday, after Russian bombardment, told the Russian people “Odesa hates you,” but this was a municipal, not a national, statement.) ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2023, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-zelensky-ever-addressed-the-people-of-russia-directly/987459/2 "2023-07-24T10:21:16Z")
I’m not sure how any such message would reach the Russian people - the media is State-controlled. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2023, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-zelensky-ever-addressed-the-people-of-russia-directly/987459/3 "2023-07-24T12:15:06Z")
I’ve seen tweets, early in the war in which he has done so and here’s one cite for a recent message, but as noted, it’s not clear the messages are received: > **[Zelensky’s New Year message to Russians: Putin is burning your future](https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3205206/putin-burning-your-future-ukraines-zelensky-says-new-year-message-russian-people)** > > Ukraine will never forgive Russia for terror, the president said, as Moscow’s forces unleashed another wave of missile strikes. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2023, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-zelensky-ever-addressed-the-people-of-russia-directly/987459/4 "2023-07-24T13:54:50Z")
> [@glee](#): > > I’m not sure how any such message would reach the Russian people - the media is State-controlled. Yes. How would he do that? Do you really think Putin would allow it? Apparently you can be arrested in Russia for calling it a war… ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2023, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-zelensky-ever-addressed-the-people-of-russia-directly/987459/5 "2023-07-24T15:25:59Z")
I don’t understand the confusion around the original post. 1. Zelensky can address the people of Russia directly. In fact, as @not_what_you_d_expect has helpfully cited above, he has done so in the past. 2. Russia is not sealed off to the outside world like North Korea. The internet is widely used in Russia. Yes, Russian authorities have recently attempted to block foreign websites. But such obstacles can be, and routinely are, circumvented with a VPN. Thus, on occasions when Zelensky addresses the people of Russia, at least some of the population will be able to find out about it. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-zelensky-ever-addressed-the-people-of-russia-directly/987459/6 "2023-07-24T17:54:25Z")
I’m pretty certain this isn’t the answer you were expecting, but he headlined the New Years Eve show on Russia 1 TV in 2013 together with Maxim Galkin. Apparently, the show is a pretty big deal in Russia, and has been since it was started in the Soviet Union in 1962. > **[On New Year’s Eve, Zelensky and Galkin sprinkled jokes on “Russia 1” TV....](https://bulgaria.postsen.com/tv/96825/On-New-Year%E2%80%99s-Eve-Zelensky-and-Galkin-sprinkled-jokes-on-Russia-1-TV-Exactly-10-years-ago.html)** > > Zelensky and Galkin together joke about the prohibition laws, and Solovyov laughs. No, this is not a parallel universe, but actually happens on New Year’s Day – exactly 10 years ago, writes the independent Russian site “Meduza”. TV channel... The video of the entire thing with auto caption is on YouTube: > **[Zelensky and Galkin - TV Channel Russia New Years Eve 2013 Autocaptioned](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx9Rdhttkno%2F)** > > Enable captions and set Auto-Translate to the language of your choice if you are unable to read Russian. And also, Roman/NFKRZ reacting to the 2023 New Years show and how Z it was, which is how I found out about all of this. > **[Russian TV has hit a new low](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVZ1m48fHDI%2F)** > > SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC19xLluI7dG093Gmw57BhHw/joinThe New Years holidays is a big celebration in Russia, and there is a ton of...