On April 21, 2019, comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who played a president in a popular Ukrainian TV series, defeated incumbent president Petro Poroshenko in a landslide, garnering 73.2% of the vote to Poroshenko’s 24.4%.
Less than four years ago Volodymyr Zelensky was one of Ukraine’s most popular TV comedians, starring in a satirical TV show and performing in a troupe where he played the piano with his penis for five minutes.
In a scenario that even the writers of his old show, “Servant of the People,” couldn’t have dreamed up, Zelensky is now the leader at the center of a new war in Europe and at risk of assassination as Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the country Thursday night.
He is one of those people who became president solely based on his popularity as an actor and a comedian. The 44-year-old doesn’t have any prior experience in the field of brinkmanship, unlike his predecessors.
From reel President to real President
In 2015, his production company, Studio Krvartal 95, aired the provocative political series “The Servant of the People,” which is now available on Netflix. In it, Zelenskiy plays a high school history teacher, who, after a student posts a viral video of him giving a passionate anti-corruption rant, wins the presidential election as a write-in candidate.
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 comedy that turned out to be his calling.
The year 2014 marked a turning point, not only for Zelensky’s career, but also for Ukraine. In that year, Ukraine’s pro-Russian President, Viktor Yanukovych, was ousted after months of protests. Russia later seized Crimea and backed separatists in the east in a war against Ukraine that continues to this day.
Zelenskliy’s character stands up to the powerful oligarchs, corrupt bureaucrats, members of the parliament, and even his own family members. He is portrayed as an earnestly honest, albeit naïve, leader.
The image resonated with the Ukrainian public, which has become fed up with the seemingly never-ending political corruption in their daily lives.
Both Zelensky, in his comedy troupe performances, and in the plotlines of “Servant of the People” satirized the corruption in Ukraine and also showed what the country could look like if given a shot at democracy.
Zelensky, who grew up in a pro-Russian part of eastern Ukraine, has proved he is a Ukrainian nationalist.
Zelneskiy’s political ambitions didn’t become apparent until the end of 2018. Right before midnight on New Year’s Eve – the time usually reserved for the presidential holiday address – Zelneskiy made an announcement during a Kvartal holiday special.
Zelenskiy might not appear to be as divisive. But like these other leaders, he is charismatic and eccentric. Likewise, he positions himself outside of the corrupt political establishment.
Zelensky called for martial law and remained defiant as Russian and Belarussian forces hit Ukraine in the kind of land, air and sea invasion not seen since World War II, blocking the capital of Kyiv as residents tried to flee.
