Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy[a] (
Ukrainian: Володимир Олександрович Зеленський, pronounced
[woloˈdɪmɪr olekˈsɑndrowɪdʒ zeˈlɛnʲsʲkɪj];
born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian statesman,
[4] former actor and comedian who has been
serving as the president of Ukraine since 2019.
Zelenskyy grew up in
Kryvyi Rih, a
Russian-speaking region in southeastern Ukraine.
[5] Prior to his acting career, Zelenskyy
obtained a degree in law from the
Kyiv National Economic University. He then pursued comedy and created the production company
Kvartal 95, which produces films, cartoons, and TV shows including
Servant of the People, in which Zelenskyy played the role of president of Ukraine. The series aired from 2015 to 2019 and was immensely popular. A
political party bearing the same name as the television show was created in March 2018 by employees of Kvartal 95.
Zelenskyy announced his candidacy for the
2019 Ukrainian presidential election on the evening of 31 December 2018, alongside the New Year's Eve address of President
Petro Poroshenko on
1+1 TV Channel. A political outsider, he had already become one of the frontrunners in
opinion polls for the election. He won the election with 73.2 per cent of the vote in the second round, defeating Poroshenko. Identifying as a
populist, he has positioned himself as an
anti-establishment,
anti-corruption figure.
As president, Zelenskyy has been a proponent of
e-government and unity between the
Ukrainian-speaking and Russian-speaking parts of
the country's population.
[6] His communication style heavily utilises
social media, particularly
Instagram.
[7] His party won a landslide victory in a
snap legislative election held shortly after his inauguration as president. During his administration, Zelenskyy oversaw the lifting of legal immunity for members of the
Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament,
[8] the country's response to the
COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent
economic recession, and some progress in tackling
corruption.
[9][10] Critics of Zelenskyy claim that in taking power away from the Ukrainian oligarchs, he has sought to centralise authority and strengthen his personal position.[11]
Zelenskyy promised to end
Ukraine's protracted conflict with Russia as part of his presidential campaign, and attempted to engage in dialogue with Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
[12] Zelenskyy's administration faced an
escalation of tensions with Russia in 2021, culminating in the launch of an
ongoing full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. Zelenskyy's strategy during the Russian military buildup was to calm the Ukrainian populace and assure the international community that Ukraine was not seeking to retaliate.
[13] He initially distanced himself from warnings of an imminent war, while also calling for security guarantees and military support from
NATO to "withstand" the threat.
[5] After the commencement of the invasion, Zelenskyy declared
martial law across Ukraine and general mobilisation.
, this midget is a mass-murderer and you bring this up now, accusing others of being bad Christians? Serious hypocrisy brother, I will pray for you.