How comedian-turned-president became a nation’s hero
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY has called on Russians to help stop the war against his country.
The Ukrainian president said in a video in Russian yesterday: “The sooner you tell your government that the war has to stop, the more people will stay alive. Stop those who lie to you and the rest of the world. We can live in peace.”
Refusing a US government offer to evacuate despite fears that Russian troops have orders to kill or capture him, Mr Zelensky said he needed “ammunition, not a ride”.
Denouncing disinformation stating that he had fled Kyiv, he said: “The fight is here. I am here. We will defend our state, because our weapons are our truth.”
When Russian forces began massing on their border, many Ukrainians looked to their president with a feeling that fate had played a cruel joke on them. Not only was it their misfortune to live next door to a bullying superpower – they were also the only country in the world with a comedian in charge.
Yet in recent days, Mr Zelensky, the TV comic-turned-politician, has stepped up into a role that many other world leaders have shied away from over the years – defying Vladimir Putin.
The 44-year-old has emerged as the figurehead of resistance, rallying the nation from a secret bunker. On Friday, he even emerged for a brief street appearance with his aides, reassuring the country that his government was still intact. “Our troops are here, our citizens are here,” he said, in a video shot on an iPhone. “All of us are here protecting the independence of our country.”
Surrounded by aides and bodyguards in military fatigues, the president combined a guerrilla-leader look with a statesmanlike resolve. Yet when the history books are written, few are likely to draw comparisons between Mr Zelensky and Winston Churchill.
Most elected rulers, after all, do not come to politics after a career in comedy – let alone star in sketches where they played a piano with their penis.
This, though, was Mr Zelensky’s previous life, when his ribald brand of political satire made him one of Ukraine’s best-known comics. He helped Ukrainians laugh their many troubles away, but when he formed his anti-establishment party that won a shock victory in 2019, many still refused to take him seriously. They do now.
“When he was first elected I planned to leave the country – I thought, ‘This is the end,’” said Andrei Shevchyk, 37, a software developer.
“But he has stepped into his role and is defending Ukraine. That video on Friday was important. It symbolised our independence.”
Born to Jewish parents in Russianspeaking south-east Ukraine, Mr Zelensky was best known for his role as a high school teacher in the TV satire Servants of the People. His character becomes a political star after a video of him ranting against corruption goes viral, leading him to be elected as president. In a case of fiction becoming fact, Mr Zelensky then decided to form his own political party, named after his TV show, which won the 2019 elections.
For a country tired of stolid, Sovietmoulded politicians, he seemed a breath of fresh air. But his star soon waned over failures to tackle corruption and fears that President Putin considered him a soft target.
As war beckoned, Mr Zelensky’s humorous style also jarred. When he said, in a nationwide address earlier this month, that Ukraine would organise a special “day of unity” festival if Russia invaded, few thought it was funny. Some foreign diplomats even thought he was being serious, forcing aides to clarify that the remark was “ironic”.
In recent days, he has looked increasingly tired and bleary eyed, making no secret about his sense of imperilment. He has claimed that he and his family are top of a Kremlin hit list, chiding the West for not doing more.
Many remain unimpressed with him as a civilian leader, accusing him of failing to tackle corruption, and being too dovish towards Mr Putin.
Even now, they credit Ukraine’s spirited fightback against the Russians to Mr Zelensky’s choice of defence minister. But the commander in chief has at least done the job required of him – to stand his ground and not to flee Kyiv.
“I still don’t think it’s right to have a comedian as a president,” said Mr Shevchyk’s younger brother, Voda, 32. “But he is standing with us – and right now, that is all that matters.”