Ukraine: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has been praised as a strong and self-confident leader who should not be disregarded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and founder of the Wagner private military organization.

His comments highlighted Prigozin's growing popularity and self-assurance in speaking on poignant topics related to the war in Ukraine in defiance of the official Moscow line.

Zelensky is a strong, confident, practical and nice guy, according to Prigozhin, who made this claim in a statement posted by the press office of his Concorde catering business on the Vkontatke social media platform.

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When asked why he was praising a leader whom Moscow has extensively criticized, sacked and attacked since taking office in 2019, Prigozin replied, "Don't underestimate him .

A Russian political analyst, Tatiana Stanovaya, found it interesting that Prigozin was expressing an opinion contrary to Putin that other members of the ruling class might be afraid to do.

"Prigozhin was brave. He believed he deserved to do so and that doing so would not offend Putin, he said. In recent weeks, Prigozhin has spoken frequently, showing Russian generals in Ukraine. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has joined in reducing the .

He publicly admitted for the first time last month that he founded Wagner, a private military organization he has used to fight in Syria, Africa and Ukraine. For his participation in the group, Prigozhin has received sanctions from the US and the European Union.

Stanovaya claimed that Prigozhin was not seeking a position of formal authority. In his opinion, he sees it more as a "business project" that he must "sell" to Putin in order to build a stronger bond with the Kremlin.

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He will avoid taking on any significant official responsibility as it is more comfortable to occupy the transitional zone between official and informal position.

The way Zelensky is portrayed by Putin and other senior officials is in contrast to Prigozin's comments on him.

Putin urged Ukrainian troops to remove Zelensky from office a day after launching an invasion of Ukraine in February, claiming it would be easier for generals to deal with than "drugs and neo-Nazi gangs" currently .

Social media pages linked to the Kremlin and Russian state media have promoted baseless claims that Zelensky is a drug addict. He says a lot. In an interview, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said of him, "It depends on what he drinks or smokes."

Zelensky has been praised in both the West and Ukraine for his inspirational war leadership, including online speeches in parliaments around the world to rally support for Kyiv.

When asked why he thinks highly of Zelensky, Prigozhin replied, "You need to treat the opponent with respect to become strong, to win. Do not underestimate him.

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Always be on the lookout for your shortcomings and consider the positive and important lessons that can be drawn from the opponent's experience.