Ex-comedian, Now Ukraine’s President Zelensky-at the center of new war-All you need to know about him
#RussiaUkraineConflict: All you need to know about Zelensky, who won the presidential election in a landslide in 2019
New Delhi: Zelensky, who was best known for his role in the Ukrainian comedy series, “Servant of the People,” where he played a schoolteacher who unexpectedly become the President of Ukraine after becoming famous for an anti-corruption rant that went viral on social media.
The 44 years old, Zelensky won the presidential election in 2019.
The writers of “Servant of the People,” also never thought off or dreamt that 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 on Thursday night.
A short video was released right after midnight Friday in Ukraine, Zelensky said the Russians “want to destroy Ukraine politically by taking down the head of state.”
“I am staying in the government quarters together with others,” Zelensky said. “The enemy has designated me as target number one, and my family as target number two.”
About Ukraine’s President Zelensky
# He was born in the central city of Kryvyi Rih to Jewish parents, Volodymyr Zelensky.
# Former comedian, graduated from Kyiv National Economic University with a law degree.
# But it was through comedy that made him famous.
# Zelensky regularly participated in comedy shows on Russian TV.
# It was in 2003, that he co-founded a successful TV production company named, “Kvartal 95.”
# The show that was produced shows for Ukraine’s 1+1 network, later the owner, who was a controversial billionaire, Ihor Kolomoisky backed Zelensky’s presidential bid.
# Till the mid 2010s, he was seen in TV and films, such as Love in the Big City (2009) and Rzhevsky Versus Napoleon (2012).
# It was in 2014, that marked a turning point for not only Zelensky’s career, but also for Ukraine.
# He made himself celebrity after appearing in the Servant of the People.
# It was only after the comedy show, resonated with the people of the country when it was going through a series of crises, marked by corruption and the aftereffects of Crimea annexation etc.
Only after the reel act, he planned to take the political plunge in 2019.
It was because of his charm that made him defeat Petro Poroshenko in a runoff by winning more than 70 per cent of the vote.
Meanwhile, currently, he is facing off against Vladimir Putin. He had vowed to fight against Russia and assured his citizens that they were prepared to fend off any kind of aggression.