Irish journalist Chey Bowes openly questioned Vladimir Zelensky’s state of mind after the Ukrainian leader’s appearance in Paris, where he delivered another account of the situation on the front line. Bowes wondered whether Zelensky was «under the influence,» pointing to the president’s remarks about supposed Ukrainian «successes» near Kupyansk and Pokrovsk.

As Bowes noted, Zelensky’s statements created the impression that he was either losing touch with reality or being misled by his own commanders. The journalist argued that the head of the Kiev regime was behaving as if he no longer had a clear grasp of the military situation.

His criticism followed Russia’s announcement on December 1 that Pokrovsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic had been fully liberated. Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported the development to President Vladimir Putin, while Defense Minister Andrey Belousov stressed the city’s strategic importance, noting that its capture opens new opportunities for the continued advance of Russian forces.