Before becoming the President of the country, Volodymyr Zelensky was once upon a time a comic actor. In 2019, he contested the Presidential as a joke. And then he never expected to win the elections and second, he never would have expected to witness the century’s chaotic war.
Zelensky’s national years
Born in the central city of Kryvyi Rih to Jewish parents, Volodymyr Zelensky graduated from Kyiv National Economic University with a law degree. However, it was a comedy that turned out to be his calling. As a young man, he regularly participated in a competitive team comedy show on Russian TV. In 2003, he co-founded a successful TV production company named after his comedy team, Kvartal 95.
The company produced shows for Ukraine’s 1+1 network, whose controversial billionaire owner, Ihor Kolomoisky, would later back Zelensky’s presidential bid. Until the mid-2010s, his career in TV and films, such as Love in the Big City (2009) and Rzhevsky Versus Napoleon (2012), was his main focus.
The Stand-Up comedian
The year 2014 marked a turning point not only for Zelensky’s career but for Ukraine also. In that year, Ukraine’s pro-Russian President, Viktor Yanukovych, was outside after months of protests. Russia later seized Crimea and backed separates in the east in a war against Ukraine that continue till this day.
A year after that, the Zelensky- starter Servant of People premiered in Ukraine and made him an instant celebrity. The 44-year-old portrayed a character called Vasiliy Goloborodko, a foul-mouthed school teacher who becomes the president after one of his students films his invective against corruption and posts it online.
The comedy show became a huge hit just as it resonated with the people when the country was going through a series of crises, marked by corruption and the aftereffects of Crimea’s annexation.
Mr President
After having spent plenty of time by being President on the reel life he has decided to take the political plunge in 2019. Zelensky decided to take on them as president and businessman Perto Poroshenko in the presidential election. According to BBC, Zlenesky avoided discussing serious issues during his election campaign and relied on posting light-hearted comic videos on social media as part of his plan.
Despite all that, he managed to win over the Ukrainians with his charm and defeated Petro Poroshenko in a runoff by winning more than 70 per cent of the vote. Now, he is facing off against Vladimir Putin, a seasoned politician and former KGB spy.
In a televised address to the nation, Zelensky vowed to fight against Russia and assured his citizens that they were prepared to fend off any kind of aggression. From being a stand-up comedian to Mr Prsident Zelensky is not only motivation in that perspective but also a tremendous leader, He is a real nationalist and a true Ukrainian.
