Text: “Protests across Russia see thousands detained.” BBC news. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60640204

Extract from the text: “More than 4,300 people were detained at anti-war protests across Russia on Sunday, rights groups and Russian authorities say. Some 1,700 people were detained in Moscow alone, Ria news agency reports, citing the interior ministry. The OVD-Info rights group says detentions took place in 53 cities.”

There are many aspects of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia that highlight different aspects of the importance of credibility and power. Domestically, Russia’s control over the media gives it credibility and power. Its arsenal of nuclear weapons may not matter that much domestically, but are a huge source of power internationally.

The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has credibility and power in ways that differ from his Russian counterpart. His ability and willingness to talk in English gives him a certain degree of power as he can converse directly with a wide-range of the world media. His actions during the invasion (e.g. deciding to stay in the country) give him both credibility and power.

There are a large number of additional ways in which credibility and power intersect with this specific example.