Volodymyr Zelenskyy, explained in 8 moments

Zelenskyy's rise in Ukraine, from TV star to president.

Once known for his political comedy sketches and skits where he pretended to play the piano with his penis, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected as the president of Ukraine in 2019 in a landslide victory.

Although he promised that his presidency would be different from other Ukrainian leaders who “promise a lot” yet “do nothing,” President Zelenskyy would soon find himself unpopular with the public. Within two years, he had already navigated scandals like his offshore companies appearing in the Pandora Papers and struggled to fulfill his campaign pledge to end the war against Russia in the Donbas region of Ukraine.

But the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, found him extremely well-positioned to offer his skills in performance and storytelling to motivate Ukrainians, rally Europe, and undermine Putin’s propaganda. How will his reaction to Russia’s advances affect his legacy?

We chose 8 clips that we feel explain President Zelenskyy’s rise from a comedian to the leader of Ukraine and had journalists and experts respond.

Further reading:

Mykhailo Minakov, expert at the Wilson Center, and featured in the video above, wrote an analysis on Zelenskyy’s decline in popularity and the failures of his presidency

How Zelenskyy downplayed the war in January:

[orestvoloshchuk]

Love that they turned to actual Ukrainians to tell the story of Ukraine, instead of a “Ukraine expert” living in Washington DC

[suhass]

Zelensky is the living definition of the meme : "Yep, that's me. You're probably wondering how I got into this situation"

[Pooperz]

Fun Fact: Zelensky’s voter percentage was actually HIGHER in real life than his character’s in the TV show

[Tarrlych]

To give more context -- even though Zelensky's popularity during his term declined, even before the war polls showed he would win over any known competitor in a potential election. So, he was headed for a second term. Ukrainians are very critical of any leadership, and by their standards, Zelensky was "OK". That actually meets the bar given the corrupt establishment he'd be competing against.

Also, factor in the COVID pandemic, the crusade which the oligarchs waged back against his government, and Putin's unwillingness to make peace in Donbas. People got bitter over the situation since they expected more from Zelensky's presidency. It's an achievement he was still headed for a second term despite all these obstacles and his own inexperience.

I was watching his presidency closely, and he didn't at all become a "different man" during wartime. But he sure got much more room to prove his worthiness in this new context.

[Hiruma_]

That circle analogy is so interesting.
He became what he himself despised but found himself again when faced with a nation-wide crisis.
I think it's times like these that truly show the character of a man. And this is a man of the people.

[MarkArandjus]

Zelenskyy is a great example of how unpredictable life can be. 10 years ago, nobody, not even himself, would've believed that he would be doing what he's doing now.

[AL-fljk]

I will never forget hearing the EU Parliament translator trying to hold back tears during the speech, a vivid moment in history

[kizill]

when he started running for president in an interview, he said: "first they will sling mud at me, then they will learn to respect me, and in the end they will cry when I leave." 2019

[rc-pfwq]

Zelenskyy being the same person he was that made him become president, that interpretation is amazing

[orelyosif]

As a Ukrainian, I can say that this is quite detailed research of Zelenskys presidency. At first, we were very dissappointed with him, but now he inspires us to stay and fight

[johnchessant]

What's really interesting to me is that not even his outsider political spirit could break through the entrenched corruption in his first two years as president. But I'm really glad he has returned to form to become exactly the leader Ukraine needs in this moment.

[sweet]

This analysis that Pres. Zelenskyy came full circle to who he is that made people elect him back in 2019 is very poignant. Goosebumps. I've been watching "Servant of the People" as well and I think his issues in peacetime as president is the real-life version of what his character faced in that show too, and maybe even worse: bureucratic red tapes, corruption, struggle of power against the oligarchs, etc etc. His initial idealism for change was probably eroded over time due to facing them as someone inexperienced in politics. It's very human.

War, however, just cut through all those bureucratic and political mess, and becomes a struggle for survival, and Zelenskyy's idealism and initial hope clearly shines here.

I'm from Asia and I now hope my own nation will one day be blessed with a leader like him. It's sad that a decent leader like him is very rare nowadays. Hope God will keep him and his country safe and victorious against the invading Russians.

[emma.mittun]

The translater crying almost made me cry. You can really tell how desperate he is, and it made me realise that I would probably cry too if it was my country being invaded and my only hope was to convince a panel of unwilling people to save it.

[nathanseper]

For a man of his background, he's handled the war better than most people ever expected.

[Xartavion]

Character-redemption arcs are written in movies, books, tv shows, and they are often the most impactful and emotionally moving for me. Zelenskyy's a real-life case of one of these redemption arcs and it's absolutely amazing. A privilege to actually witness in my lifetime, someone putting their money where their mouth is and rising to the challenge when the moment comes.

[AverytheCubanAmerican]

Zelenskyy knows his flaws, but unlike a certain Afghan President who fled his capital with a suitcase filled with money, Zelenskyy is standing his ground. He is sincere and genuine. He is showing his promise in his speech that anything is possible, that is in fact possible to defend against such a powerful military like Russia's. Like him or not, that is something you have to respect.

[Xavierpng]

Absolutely appreciate the fact you went for a fuller picture. That you've not stopped at meme level of adoring the Zelynsky. While he's at his best right now, and I hope he continue to be, it's worth showing context. Thank you for that.

[ziqi]

It’s hard to find leaders who are good at both peacetime and wartime leadership. Usually it is just one or the other. They do require different skill sets and character, after all. Zelenskyy is clearly a wartime leader.

[emeraldsama]

As a Ukranian, i think the video is quite correct in saying Zelensky was probably not the best president in peace, but he is great in war. At first 2 years I was quite dissapointed in him, but politics wasn't easy on him too, he didn't get our country in the best shape to be honest. But right now he inspires all of us to fight for our country and our people. He is our hero and he became the leader we all so desperatly wanted and needed
Все буде Україна! Ми живі і боремося за свою свободу. Тримаємося разом!

[xxEmmeline.Laurier]

I still remember when my parents used to watch Zelenskyy in his Ukrainian comedy shows. Can’t believe that now he’s become a president, and not only that, he’s also battling a war set on by Russia as he leads his country to victory. Couldn’t be more proud of him and my country ✊🇺🇦 Slava Ukraini