The war between Russia and Ukraine is the focus of global attention, Russia invaded Ukraine in an all-round way on February 24, the Russian army did not quickly capture Ukraine as predicted by the outside world, but Ukraine under the leadership of President Zelenskiy, the whole country struggled to resist, and the two sides ushered in a bitter battle.
The two countries have now concluded a second round of negotiations, but the two sides have only reached consensus on the establishment of humanitarian corridors, and the situation remains tense. Zelenskiy's performance in the Russo-Ukrainian War won the respect and applause of the whole world, and his support in Ukraine reached a new high, and he firmly stated that he would never flee and would advance and retreat with the people.
Born into a Kochi family
Zelenskiy was born in 1978 and grew up in a Jewish family in eastern Ukraine to parents who were high intellectuals, his father a professor at university and his mother an engineer.
As a child, Zelenskiy followed his parents to Mongolia to live, and did not return to Ukraine until the age of 8. Zelenskiy enrolled in Secondary School No. 95 while in middle school, which had a profound impact on him, as the troupes and companies he later founded were named after block numbers.
When Zelenskiy was 16, he passed the TOEFL exam and prepared to go to Israel to attend university, but was discouraged by his parents, and eventually he decided to stay in Ukraine and graduate from the law school of the top local university. However, after graduation, Zelenskiy did not devote himself to the legal profession, but because he loved acting since he was a child, he devoted himself to the development of his acting career as soon as he graduated.
Formed a troupe as an actor
Zelenskiy was particularly interested in theatre performances in middle school, when he formed the 95th Block Troupe with a group of like-minded friends. In the early days of the troupe, Zelenskiy served as captain, screenwriter, actor and participated in the production of the Russian television program KVN. Until 2003, Zelenskiy stopped working with KVN and instead cooperated with Ukrainian 1+1 television.
In the same year, the 95th Block Theater Company also changed its name to the 95th Block Studio to expand its business, and Zelenskiy served as the studio's artistic director and screenwriter, while continuing his career as an actor. The comedy show produced by Zelenskiy's team is famous for satirizing the shortcomings of the times and is also popular with the local people.
Zelenskiy has participated in many shows, TV series and movies over the years, and is well known in Ukraine, winning the championship in the 2006 "Dance with the Stars" program, and has also performed in films such as "Love in the Metropolis" and "8 First Encounters". In 2014, Zelenskiy voiced the Ukrainian version of the "Burlington" movie, and later when the actors of "Burlington" discovered about it, they specifically thanked Zelenskiy on Twitter.
Changed his life because of "Servant of the People"
However, what really makes Zelenskiy a household name in Ukraine is the TV series "Servant of the People", which completely changed his life.
"Servant of the People" is a satirical and comedy TV series with political themes, and the male protagonist played by Zelenskiy was originally a high school teacher, and later students made a film of him complaining about Ukraine's previous presidents, and uploaded it to social networking sites. The clip was unexpectedly popular, and the male protagonist also ran for the presidency and was successfully elected by mistake.
Produced by Zelenskiy's studio, "Servant of the People" has a total of 3 seasons, and the series became a hit after its release, and some people believe that the tv series is the most critically acclaimed series in Ukraine in recent years. Perhaps when "Servant of the People" aired, no one could have imagined that this fictional TV series would become a true portrayal of Zelenskiy, who was not a high school teacher, but he was also a newcomer in the political arena.
Refresh the ukrainian presidential approval rating
"Servant of the People" became popular, Zelenskiy accumulated a certain degree of favorability in the hearts of the Ukrainian people, although he has not officially stated his candidacy for the presidency in the second half of 2018, but Zelenskiy's approval rating has always been among the best. It was not until late that year that Zelenskiy announced that he would run for president with the Servants of the People, and his approval ratings have since risen, far ahead of the other candidates.
Zelenskiy advocated greater political transparency, involving more ordinary people in politics, and would also address Ukraine's long-simmering corruption. Zelenskiy had a positive image, and the Ukrainian people deeply hoped that the political elite would improve the problems facing the country, and finally he defeated his opponent Poroshenko with 73.3% support in 2019, becoming Ukraine's president with the highest vote. Zelenskiy also went from playing president in Servant of the People to becoming a real president and was officially sworn in as president on May 20, 2019.
After taking office, it was less than expected
Although Zelenskiy was elected by a large number of votes, he also faced many doubts after taking office, and his approval rating fell sharply, and many Ukrainians were worried that Zelensky, who had no political experience, would not be able to lead the government.
In addition, Zelenskiy appointed a large number of showbiz friends with no political experience to serve in important government positions after taking office, and was questioned whether he wanted to form a "showbiz government", which caused public dissatisfaction, and less than a week after taking office, more than 70,000 people signed to ask him to step down.
Since taking office in 2019, Zelenskiy has faced a continuous decline in support, because after his presidency, Ukraine's corruption problems have not improved, making people doubt his ability. Until the situation between Russia and Ukraine became tense, Zelenskiy, as president, did not choose to escape, but fought back head-on, shouldering the important responsibility of the head of state.
Stick to Ukraine
After Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, Zelenskiy also announced the establishment of a high command on the same day, with him personally serving as the chairman and supreme commander of the armed forces, leading the Ukrainian people to resist the Russian army. Zelenskiy also spoke constantly with Ukrainian nationals through social media, insisting that the first family would never flee and rejecting evacuation assistance from the United States.
After the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War, there were constant reports that Zelenskiy had withdrawn from Kiev, but he would make films to clarify the false information and show that he was still fighting with the people in Kiev, which also made the Ukrainian people more united.
Zelenskiy's performance in holding fast to the country in the Russo-Ukrainian War also won him the hearts and minds of the people, according to the latest poll data, Zelenskiy's popular support rate is as high as 91%, higher than when he was elected president, and it is also the highest support rate he has received in many years. Not only did Zelenskiy gain the support of the Ukrainian people, he also received a lot of attention around the world, and even the editor-in-chief of "New Era", who had criticized him, said that he had changed his mind.
The woman behind it
Not only did Zelenskiy gain attention, but his wife, Olina Zelenska, was also known as the "bravest first lady", and she met and fell in love with Zelenskiy in college, after which Olina worked as an architect, later became a screenwriter in the 95th block studio, and created "Servant of the People" together. Although Olina did not initially support her husband's candidacy for president, she later decided to fully support Zelenskiy and help her husband in all aspects.
Zelenskiy and Orina married in 2003 after eight years in love and now have an 18-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son. After the war, Olina also expressed her determination to the people through social media, saying that she would not panic and cry, and would always be with her husband. It is hoped that the war will subside as soon as possible and the world will return to peace.