Zelensky was different in this case as he actually won the presidency. He was an actor, comedian, and television personality before he won. The 44-year-old President was born in Kryvyi Rih, an industrial city in central Ukraine. He was of Jewish descent and was, according to him, raised as your typical Soviet Jewish family. Ironically, Vladimir Putin and his administration had used “denazification” as his casus belli to invade Ukraine when the Ukrainian leader’s family were victims of the Nazi Holocaust.
Zelensky later finished his law degree in 2000 from the Kyiv National Economic University. However, he soon began appearing on comedy and television shows, even hosting a show named “Liga Smeha” (League of Laughter), and won Ukraine’s “Dancing with the Stars.” He was also the voice actor of the Ukrainian version of “Paddington,” the famous animated bear.
https://twitter.com/abughazalehkat/status/1497768813860896770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1497768813860896770%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fvolodymyr-zelensky-ukraine-president-russia%2F
However, the show that had put him on the Ukrainian presidential map prior to his presidential win was his role on the satirical TV show “Servant of the People.” There he played the role of Vasyl Holobrodko, a history teacher whose passionate rant on corruption and injustice in Ukraine went viral, causing him to win the presidency. Needless to say, it was one of Ukraine TV’s biggest hits.
The show was his catapult to political success. In 2019, he aspired to make the TV story a reality when he ran for President, winning a landslide victory over then-President Petro Poroshenko. He was elected President in 2019 and was seen by the Ukrainian public as a rebuff on traditional politics.
“People want to see a president like [Vasyl Holoborodko], with the same moral values,” Zelensky said before the election. “They’re fed up with the establishment. People want something new.”
I can’t wrap my mind around the existence of this clip. pic.twitter.com/1XvBYWlMxg
— Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) March 2, 2022
President Zelensky the War Figure
While Zelensky’s presidential win came on the back of massive support from the people, his popularity soon appeared to be slowing down in his first years in office. Zelensky was criticized for failing his anti-corruption campaign and being too mellow when facing Putin. Furthermore, he faced allegations that he was beholden and a puppet to Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoisky who owns the TV channel where his show “Servant of the People” aired.
He also made a controversial political debut in the West when Trump called up Zelensky to investigate a Ukrainian energy company board member and Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, for corruption.
“I would like you to do us a favor,” said Trump in the now-infamous phone call that has now become a memorable quote from the impeachment trial. It was later revealed that Trump had ordered $400 million of military aid for Ukraine to be put on hold days before the call. The aid was to be put on hold in an effort to allegedly strong-arm Zelensky into launching a politically motivated investigation against now President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.
Zelensky had his chance at redemption during the start of the Russian invasion, and it seems that he has redeemed himself tenfold. The actor turned President has utilized his skills as a performer in managing the Ukrainian crisis. From his selfie videos on the streets of Kyiv, reaffirming the people on the war, to endearing speeches at international gatherings – he got the world to support Ukraine.
Zelensky has made the war his stage, and the rest of the world his captivated audience. “Politics, particularly politics today, is a game of performance,” said Samuel Woolley, an assistant professor in the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Journalism, in a statement to The Washington Post. “It’s a game of knowing what to say and when and how, and Zelensky seems to be hitting the nail on the head here.”
Amidst all his work on social media and the international stage, arguably Zelensky’s most important contribution is staying in Ukraine. It can be remembered that Zelensky has a bounty on his head and was pursued by Chechen special forces to assassinate him, which was later allegedly thwarted. He was offered an evacuation plan by the United States, to which he refused, stating, “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”
COMMENTS