Maritimers react to Ukrainian president's address to parliament

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has gained popularity worldwide for how he’s led his country during a time of war and his modern approach to communication.

"The Smartphone is mightier than the sword, and he knows it," said Giles Crouch, a digital anthropologist based in Bedford, N.S.

Crouch points out that Zelensky's social media profile was big in Ukraine before the war started, and that his background as a comedian and actor has given him a boost for connecting online.

"He uses very plain language, very short clips and posts, and that's the stuff that's easy to share," Crouch said.

In Sydney, Kyiv native Sergiy Pysarenko, said the fact the leader of his native country addressed the parliament of his adopted country on Tuesday held great meaning for him.

Pysarenko says he's felt inspired, and worried, watching from afar as Zelensky puts his life on the line for Ukraine.

"He makes me proud," Pysarenko said, "he's in the right place at the right time, even though it might cost him his life - he exemplifies resistance."

Tom Urbaniak, Cape Breton University political scientist, watched Zelensky's address to Canadian Parliament. He says the Ukrainian president's requests to Canada hold significant weight. He adds Zelensky has become the face of what he sees as a generational struggle for the future of democracy.

"He basically said that Canada needs to do more," Urbaniak said, "President Zelensky has established himself as the leader of the free world. He speaks with a lot of moral authority and his address to the Canadian Parliament was not just public relations. There were some specific and stark asks there, and we need to reflect very seriously on those."

While Zelensky has capitalized on social media to address his people, Giles Crouch says it has given him more political clout worldwide and gathered people globally to support him and Ukraine.

"Because of Zelensky's clever use of social media, he rallied people around the world to him," Crouch said, "we saw people sharing Ukrainian cultural symbols, and this is something I've never seen in a conflict before - where social media has played a role."