One man has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance against Russian occupation: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But how did the former actor come to power and what kind of leader has he become? Let's follow his story
(AP) - In this footage from December, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seen meeting with the Ukrainian military.
The Ukrainian leader has become a hero in the conflict between his country and Russian occupation forces, refusing to abandon the capital even as enemy missiles are ravaging the country.
"I live here in Kiev, on Bankova Street. I am not hiding and I am not afraid of anyone, as long as it is necessary to win our patriotic war", he emphasized at the beginning of this week.
In his case an unusual rise to power had occurred.
After studying law at university, Zelenskyy became an actor and comedian.
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Even, in the series "Servant of the People" he played the role of the history professor, who had come under the nose of corrupt politicians. And quite by accident he ends up being elected president.
By the time he started thinking about a career in politics, it was a case of life imitating art.
World popularity
Various states are buying the rights to broadcast the series.
According to Rory Finnin, associate professor of Ukrainian studies at the University of Cambridge, Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, also known as the Maidan Revolution, was central to Zelenskyy's transformation.
"His view of politics really seems to change when Ukrainians gave their lives in the fight against former President Viktor Yanukovych, who left the country for the Russian Federation in 2014. This was a defining moment for all the Ukrainian people. He was no exception. And in 2015, for example, Zelenskyy had performed as a comedian for Ukrainian troops on the front line between Ukraine and its Russian-occupied eastern part, known as Donbass. There he collected money for the troops and asked them to raise their morale", Finnin emphasized.
Like his TV persona, Zelenskyy came to office by being democratically elected when he won the election in 2019. He badly defeated a billionaire businessman.
"The only thing that is clear now is that Zelenskyy has something that no other Ukrainian politician has, and these are leadership skills. They are unique. He has charisma," said Finnin. "It is not fake, nor forced. His patriotism is real. And from what I understand, from friends and colleagues who know him well, Zelenksyy has a warm and kind temperament, but he doesn't suffer stupidity either."
He had promised to break the power of the corrupt oligarchs who until then had loosely controlled Ukraine since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. And before the invasion of Russia, Zelenskyy had already achieved some success. It removed the immunity of MPs and froze the assets of Kremlin-backed oligarchs.
However, he also came to power with little experience and made mistakes during his mandate.
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Like Churchill
"As someone who needs to move the levers of state power, he has often been thwarted. He was in a hurry at times. As in the case when he decided to appoint trusted friends, in search of loyalty. But those friends did not have much experience in the government", Finnin emphasized. "Ukraine is very, very big. As we have already said, it is very diverse. Different regions have different political elites. He had to know them. He wasn't always patient, and sometimes he was messy."
The boldness of Zelenskyy's stance on Ukraine's sovereignty might not have been expected from someone whose biggest political liability for many years was a sense that he was too willing to compromise with Moscow.
The Ukrainian leader ran for office on a platform where he could negotiate peace with Russia, which seized Crimea from Ukraine and backed two pro-Russian separatist regions in 2014, leading to a frozen conflict that has killed nearly 15.000 people.
Although Zelenskyy managed a prisoner exchange, efforts at reconciliation failed as Putin's insistence that Ukraine distance itself from the West became increasingly intense, painting the Kiev government as a hotbed of extremism directed by Washington.
The Russian invasion has catapulted the president to international recognition and drawn attention to his strengths as a leader.
"We don't want to romanize any political figure, but at the same time we must congratulate him for a courageous, clear, principled leadership every time we see him, because then when it seems to be lacking, Zelenskyy is embodying that leadership. I think he would say that he gets this most truly from the Ukrainian people themselves, because we are seeing these exciting scenes at the grassroots level, at the army level, of a vigorous defense of their democratic country against that authoritarian, aggressive, and brutal", said Finnin.
With the courage, good humor and grace under fire that has rallied his people, as well as the impression he has left on his Western counterparts, the compact, dark-haired former actor, 44, has stood his ground, no matter what he says. that he has a target on his back from the Russian invaders.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy had addressed the Parliament of Great Britain.
In a speech that echoed wartime leader Winston Churchill, he told British politicians: “We will not surrender and we will not lose. We will fight to the bottom of the sea and to the air. We will continue to fight for our land at all costs. We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the coasts and on the roads".
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