Take stock of Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, a comedian by training

The former comedian was elected president of Ukra in 2019 by an overwhelming margin.

Before his unexpected election as President of Ukraine in 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was best known for playing president in the Ukrainian TV series Servant of the People.

Today, the 44-year-old Ukrainian is leading Ukraine, facing a situation overwhelmed by the entry of large armies from Russia.

Speaking on television to Ukrainians on Thursday, Feb. 24, Ukrainian President Želensky said he had news that Russia had "identified me as Target No. 1 and my family as Target No. 2."

"They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state." The Ukrainian president said in a televised address.

(Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a joint news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda at Mariinskyi Palace in Kiev, Ukraine, on Feb. 23, 2022.) ）

Zelenskiy's life and career are by no means typical compared to other international leaders, and since taking office as Ukraine's president, he has faced a series of seemingly endless national crises in Ukraine.

Zelenskiy is married and has two children. He graduated from Kiev State Economic University in 2000 with a law degree, but after graduation he decided to pursue a different career.

[On November 23, 2019, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena saluted the victims of the Great Famine of 1932-1933 (the Great Ukrainian Famine of 1932-33) at the Victims' Memorial in Kiev, Ukraine. Many believe that the famine that killed millions of Ukrainians was a genocide ordered by then-Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. 】

In 1997, together with other actors, he formed the comedy troupe Kvartal 95 and began producing tv shows in 2003.

In 2015, Zelenskiy began playing the role of president, which would put him on the path of president. In "Servant of the People," he plays Vasyl Petrovych Holoborodko, a school teacher who wakes up to find his rant at corrupt politicians going viral and pushing him to the presidency.

Holoborodko is often portrayed as being on Zelenskiy's head, always willing to fight corruption.

The TV series Servant of the People was so popular in Ukraine that Zelenskiy created a political party under his own name, "Kvartal 95".

[Zelenymyr Zelenskyy performed on Stage in the western Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod on February 9, 2019. 】

In 2018, Zelenskiy abruptly announced his entry into Ukrainian realpolitik and announced his candidacy for president on behalf of the Servant of the People Party. During his campaign, he continued to tour with his troupe and mocked his rivals on talk shows.

Zelenskiy also promoted his campaign and platform on social media. His attitude is similar to his television role as he vows to fight corruption and promote more centrist governments.

That year, he went on to win Ukraine's presidential election by an overwhelming margin, receiving more than 73 percent of the vote. Previously, he campaigned on the platform of "ending the war with Russia and its separatist proxies in eastern Ukraine."

Zelens was inaugurated as president of Ukraine in May 2019.

(Ukrainian comedian and presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky reacted on April 21, 2019, after announcing the results of the first round of the second round of export polls for ukraine's presidential election at his campaign headquarters in Kiev.) ）

Two months later, Zelenskiy was embroiled in a major scandal involving then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

Sources say Trump called Zelenskiy and forced him to work with Trump's personal adviser, Rudy Giuliani, and then Attorney General William Barr to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who competed with Trump in the presidential election at the time. Trump withheld $400 million in U.S. Congressional aid to Ukraine when Ukrainian officials did not comply.

Trump denied any wrongdoing, repeatedly calling it a "perfect call," but the U.S. Congressional investigation led to Trump's impeachment later that year. He was acquitted in the Senate in February 2020.

Zelenskiy has been more friendly with Biden since he took over as president of the United States and visited the White House last year.

Zelenskiy led his country as the coronavirus (COVID-19) ravaged the world. He tested positive for COVID-19 in November 2021 and was hospitalized for three days.

When he took office, he promised to find a solution to the eight-year-long conflict between eastern Ukraine and Russian-controlled separatists. He initially tried to engage Putin diplomatically, but always wanted to lead Ukraine to NATO, so he was coldly received by the Russian leadership.

Over the past year, under political pressure during the COVID-19 crisis, Zelenskiy has taken a tougher stance on pro-Russian political factions in Ukraine, including Viktor Medvedchuk, a man known as Putin in Ukraine.

Russia's military buildup on Ukraine began around the same time, with Zelensky beginning sanctions against Medvedchuk and television stations associated with him.

He denied all allegations by Putin and Russian-controlled separatists that he was provoking war and passionately appealed in Russian on Feb. 23 for the Ukrainian people to reject "aggression."

"We don't need war. Not cold, not hot, not mixed. Zelenskiy said in his speech.

Putin claims that part of the military operations in Ukraine are aimed at "de-Nazirification," exploiting erroneous narratives of Western-leaning politicians sympathizing with fascism.

Zelenskiy was Jewish, and three of his uncles were killed in the Holocaust.

(Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy spoke to the nation in Kiev, Ukraine, on February 24, 2022, after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized military operations in eastern Ukraine.) ）

Zelenskiy has now said he will stay in Kiev and continue to post videos during the Russian army's military operations.

In his speech on Wednesday, 23, Zelenskiy turned from Ukrainians to Russians, directly calling on Russians to seek peace, saying that their leadership was leading them into a senseless war.

"I know Russian television will not broadcast my speech. But Russian citizens need to see it. They need to see the truth. The truth is, you need to stop before it's too late. He said.

Hours after Zelenskiy's speech, Russian army missiles began hitting military installations in Kiev.