The president's admission that he willingly failed to signal a looming Russian attack has ?punctured the bubble? of his image Many Ukrainians have been infuriated by an admission, from President Vladimir Zelensky, that he concealed news of the imminent Russian special military operation last spring. That's according to the Washington Post, where he made the revelation earlier this week. Zelensky's disclosure that he sacrificed lives to avoid ruining the economy was his first serious communication blunder since the conflict began, the paper said.