Saturday, 7 Jun 2025
America Age
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Font ResizerAa
America AgeAmerica Age
Search
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
America Age > Blog > World > What to know about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
World

What to know about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Enspirers | Editorial Board
Share
What to know about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
SHARE
ABC News

February 24, 2022, 5:04 PM

Until his surprise election in 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyy played a president on TV.

Today, the 44-year-old is leading Ukraine as it faces an invasion from Russia, facing a threat to his rule and perhaps his life, from President Vladimir Putin.

MORE: What to know about Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the comedian-turned president of Ukraine

Addressing Ukrainians on television Thursday, at the end of the first day of the invasion, Zelenskyy said he had information Russia “has identified me as target No. 1 and my family as No. 2.”

“They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state,” the president said in the televised speech.

PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gestures while speaking during a joint news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda following their talks in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 23, 2022. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gestures while speaking during a joint news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda following their talks in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 23, 2022. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)
PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gestures while speaking during a joint news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda following their talks in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 23, 2022. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

Zelenskyy’s life and career have been anything but typical compared to other international leaders, and he has faced a seemingly unending series of crises since taking office.

Zelenskyy, who is married and has two children, graduated from the Kyiv National Economic University in 2000 with a law degree, but he decided to pursue a different career.

PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena paid tribute to the victims of the 1932-1933 Holodomor (Great Famine in Ukraine of 1932-33) at a monument to the victims in Kyiv, Ukraine, Nov. 23, 2019. (NurPhoto via Getty Images, FILE)PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena paid tribute to the victims of the 1932-1933 Holodomor (Great Famine in Ukraine of 1932-33) at a monument to the victims in Kyiv, Ukraine, Nov. 23, 2019. (NurPhoto via Getty Images, FILE)
PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena paid tribute to the victims of the 1932-1933 Holodomor (Great Famine in Ukraine of 1932-33) at a monument to the victims in Kyiv, Ukraine, Nov. 23, 2019. (NurPhoto via Getty Images, FILE)

He formed the comedy troupe Kvartal 95 with other actors in 1997 and in 2003, the group began producing television programs.

In 2015, Zelenskyy began starring in the role that would set him on the path to the presidency. In the show “Servant of the People,” he played Vasyl Petrovych Holoborodko, a school teacher who wakes up to find that a rant he made against corrupt politicians went viral and catapulted him to the presidency.

Holoborodko was often portrayed as being in over his head, but willing to fight corruption.

The show was so popular that it led to Kvartal 95 creating a political party in its name.

PHOTO: Volodymyr Zelenskyy performs on stage in the western Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod on Feb. 9, 2019. (Sergiy Gudak/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)PHOTO: Volodymyr Zelenskyy performs on stage in the western Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod on Feb. 9, 2019. (Sergiy Gudak/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)
PHOTO: Volodymyr Zelenskyy performs on stage in the western Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod on Feb. 9, 2019. (Sergiy Gudak/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)

In 2018, Zelenskyy abruptly moved into real politics and announced his candidacy for president under the Servant of the People party. During his campaign, he continued touring with his troupe and mocked his opponents in stand-up routines.

Zelenskyy also took to social media to promote his campaign and platform. His attitude was similar to his TV character as he vowed to crack down on corruption and promote a more centrist administration.

MORE: Russia-Ukraine updates: Chernobyl taken by Russian forces, Ukraine says

He went on to win the election in a landslide, taking over 73% of the vote, after running on a platform to end the war with Russia and its separatist proxies in eastern Ukraine.

He was inaugurated in May 2019.

PHOTO: Ukrainian comedian and presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky reacts after the announcement of the first exit poll results in the second round of Ukraine's presidential election at his campaign headquarters in Kiev on April 21, 2019. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)PHOTO: Ukrainian comedian and presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky reacts after the announcement of the first exit poll results in the second round of Ukraine's presidential election at his campaign headquarters in Kiev on April 21, 2019. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)
PHOTO: Ukrainian comedian and presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky reacts after the announcement of the first exit poll results in the second round of Ukraine’s presidential election at his campaign headquarters in Kiev on April 21, 2019. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)

Two months later, Zelenskyy would become entangled in a major U.S. scandal involving then-President Donald Trump.

News emerged that Trump had called Zelenskyy and pressured him to work with Rudy Giuliani and then-Attorney General William Barr to investigate Joe Biden, who was then running against Trump in the presidential election, and his son Hunter. Trump withheld $400 million in congressional aid to Ukraine when Ukrainian officials didn’t comply.

Trump denied any wrongdoing, repeatedly saying it was a “perfect call,” but a congressional investigation led to Trump’s impeachment later that year. He was acquitted in the Senate in February 2020.

MORE: Read the transcript of Trump’s call with the Ukraine president

Zelenskyy has had a more amicable relationship with Biden since he took over the presidency and visited the White House last year.

Zelenskyy led his country as COVID-19 ravaged the world. He would test positive for the virus in November and was hospitalized for three days.

He came to office promising to find a way to resolve the eight-year conflict in eastern Ukraine with the Russian-controlled separatists there. He initially tried to engage with Putin diplomatically, but was treated coldly by the Russian leader.

In the past year, under pressure politically during the COVID-19 crisis, Zelenskyy had taken a harder line against pro-Russian political factions in Ukraine, including Viktor Medvedchuk, known as Putin’s man in Ukraine.

Russia’s military buildup against Ukraine began around the same time Zelenskyy moved to sanction Medvedchuk and TV stations linked to him.

MORE: Why Americans should care about the Ukraine-Russia conflict

He has denied all allegations by Putin and Russian-controlled separatists that he is provoking war and made an impassioned plea in Russian on Feb. 23 for that country’s people to reject the aggression.

“We don’t need war. Not a cold one, nor a hot one, nor a hybrid one,” Zelenskyy said during his speech.

Putin has claimed his military operation in Ukraine is aimed in part at “de-Nazification” of the country, playing on a false narrative that Western-leaning politicians are sympathetic to fascism.

Zelenskyy is Jewish and three of his great uncles were killed in the Holocaust.

PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the nation in Kyiv, Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the nation in Kyiv, Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)
PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the nation in Kyiv, Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)

Zelenskyy for now has said he will remain in Kyiv and has continued to post video addresses during the invasion.

During his speech on Wednesday, Zelenskyy switched from Ukrainian into Russian, appealing directly to Russians for peace, saying their leadership was leading them into a senseless war.

“I know that Russian TV won’t show my speech. But citizens of Russia need to see it. They need to see the truth. The truth is you need to stop before it’s too late,” he said.

A few hours later, missile strikes began hitting Kyiv.

ABC News’ Conor Finnegan contributed to this report.

What to know about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Why is Russia invading Ukraine? What you need to know Why is Russia invading Ukraine? What you need to know
Next Article Russia invades Ukraine on many fronts in ‘brutal act of war’ Russia invades Ukraine on many fronts in ‘brutal act of war’

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Popular Posts

“1000-lb Sisters” Star Amy Slaton Reportedly Pleads Responsible to Drug Possession

"1000-Lb Sisters" star Amy Slaton escaped a jail time period in her Tennessee drug and…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Cloth Masks Do Not Protect Against Virus as Effectively as Others, C.D.C. Says

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday clarified its stance on various kinds…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Lakers Are Signing Undrafted Rookie On Two-Approach Contract

(Picture by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Pictures)   The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t make any impactful additions…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Activists protest in Manhattan for women in Iran, against the NYT

Dozens of young Iranians and Americans gathered Tuesday in front of The New York Times…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

You Might Also Like

Birmingham’s free-running bull rehomed in Norwich animal sanctuary
World

Birmingham’s free-running bull rehomed in Norwich animal sanctuary

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Federal prosecutor reportedly give up over concern Ábrego García indictment was politically motivated – US politics stay
World

Federal prosecutor reportedly give up over concern Ábrego García indictment was politically motivated – US politics stay

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Labour byelection win exhibits ‘SNP’s balloon has burst’, says Anas Sarwar
World

Labour byelection win exhibits ‘SNP’s balloon has burst’, says Anas Sarwar

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
College of Michigan utilizing undercover investigators to surveil pupil Gaza protesters
World

College of Michigan utilizing undercover investigators to surveil pupil Gaza protesters

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
America Age
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


America Age: Your instant connection to breaking stories and live updates. Stay informed with our real-time coverage across politics, tech, entertainment, and more. Your reliable source for 24/7 news.

Company
  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement
Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability
Terms of Use
  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?