Who is Volodymyr Zelensky ?

Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky is the sixth president of Ukraine since May 20, 2019. A former comedian and an actor with limited experience in politics had won a landslide victory in the country's presidential election in April 2019. Zelensky did not hold any positions in elective office before running for the post of president.

 

The world praised Zelensky's bravery and determination to serve his war-torn country during the Russian invasion in February 2022. The global community hailed his valour of not fleeing the country amidst the political mayhem and gained recognition as a wartime leader.

 

Life and education

 

Volodymyr Zelensky was born on January 25, 1978, in Kryvyi Rih, a Russian-speaking industrial region of south-eastern Ukraine to Jewish parents. During his initial days of childhood, he was a native Russian speaker but gradually became fluent in both English and Ukrainian languages. In 1995, he took admission into Kryvyy Rih Economic Institute -- the local campus of Kyiv National Economic University and in 2000, Zelensky graduated with a law degree.

 

Career

 

In 1997, the comic-turned-president founded Kvartal 95 studio -- a television entertainment production company that produced many TV shows for years. Zelensky has worked in a number of films including -- Love in the Big City, Office Romance, Our Time, 8 First Dates, I, You, He, She, Svanty and Paddington. 

 

In 2015, he starred in the television series 'Servant of the People' where he played the role of an anti-corruption politician who eventually becomes the Ukrainian president.  

 

Zelensky, whose grandfather served in the Soviet Army during the Second World War, also worked as a creative director and screenwriter and performed at stand-up comedy shows.

 

In March 2018, Kvartal 95 established the political party 'Servant of the People' that won the first single-party majority in Ukrainian history in parliament in July 2019.

 

In 2019, Zelensky contested the presidential election and defeated Petro Poroshenko in a landslide victory as he won 73.2 per cent of the votes. On May 20, 2019, Volodymyr Zelensky was sworn in as the sixth President of Ukraine.