Message To Putin? Zelenskyy's Pick Of 'To Kill A Tyrant' At Kyiv Book Fair Sparks Buzz

Last Updated:May 31, 2025, 07:02 IST

A photo he posted showed Zelenskiy’s wife, Olena, thumbing through a copy of the book as her husband stood next to her

A photo he posted showed Zelenskiy’s wife, Olena, thumbing through a copy of the book as her husband stood next to her. (Image via X/@ZelenskyyUa)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife browsed the stalls at a literary fair in Kyiv on Friday and left with some new reading material – a book entitled “To Kill A Tyrant."

Zelenskyy, who has led his country throughout the three-year war with Russia, has repeatedly described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a dictator. He did not reveal if he intended, with his book purchase, to send a message to his Kremlin counterpart.

He picked up the book, by Italian academic Aldo Andrea Cassi, in the Ukrainian-language version, according to a post about his visit to the book fair on his account on social media platform Telegram.

A photo he posted showed Zelenskyy’s wife, Olena, thumbing through a copy of the book as her husband stood next to her. Zelenskiy said it was one of several titles he and his wife had picked up at the fair.

The full title of the book is: “To Kill A Tyrant; A History Of Tyrannicide From Caesar To Gaddafi."

It was published in Italian in 2022, and according to a summary released by the publisher of the Italian edition, it poses the question: “Is it right or wrong to kill a tyrant? And if it is, who decides?"

Kyiv, Ukraine

News world Message To Putin? Zelenskyy's Pick Of 'To Kill A Tyrant' At Kyiv Book Fair Sparks Buzz