Volodymyr Zelensky: The former comic turned Ukrainian president now facing invasion by Russia

Having moved from playing the president on television to actually taking office, Ukraine’s leader is having to facedown a bellicose Vladimir Putin, writes Chris Stevenson

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky (Facebook/Volodymyr Zelensky )

When he was elected president of Ukraine via a landslide election victory in 2019, comedian Volodymyr Zelensky was all smiles – promising to not “mess up” and speaking of “rebooting” peace talks with separatists in the eastern Donbas region to halt years of fighting.

Any joviality has long disappeared. Zelensky now faces a worst-case scenario – an invasion by Russian troops and a bellicose Vladimir Putin who has threatened: “Whoever tries to stand in our way or create threats for our country and people should know Russia’s response will be immediate and lead you to consequences you have never encountered in your history”.

Zelensky, after weeks of calling for a diplomatic solution has sought to remain calm. "No panic. We're strong. We're ready for anything. We'll defeat everyone, because we are Ukraine," he said in a video statement. But how did the 44-year-old, a political novice before he ran for the presidency, find himself here?

It is a case of life imitating art. Born in January 1978 to Jewish parents, his father a computer scientist, his mother an engineer, Zelensky grew up in the Russian-speaking, industrial central city of Kryvyi Rih. It is said Zelensky, known to those who knew him as Vova, enjoyed listening to English rock and playing guitar in his youth, later obtaining a law degree. It was that career path that his mother thought he was going to take.

However, comedy had already captured Zelensky's imagination. A show on Russian television called KVN involved teams from across former Soviet states competing against one another in sketch comedy and improvisation. Zelensky competed – including at school and in local rounds – and was given a spot on the Kryvyi Rih team. In the mid-1990s, Zelensky and his friends would go on to form their own troupe, named after a neighbourhood in their hometown, the 95th quarter—or Kvartal 95. In 2003, he co-founded a TV production company under the same name. (A number of friends connected to Kvartal 95 were handed roles in Zelensky's administration when he was elected.) He would marry his wife, Olena Zelenska, the same year. The pair were in school together – but were not acquaintances – getting to know each other later. They have two children, a daughter and a son.

In time, Zelensky would build a successful career of live shows and TV variety performances – and subsequently films. He would often visit Moscow and former USSR states, although would later say, following the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, that the production company had cut its Russian ties.

As for the brand of humour? Vladislav Davidzon, the editor of The Odessa Review, told The Atlantic: “His comedy was puerile, vulgar, and working-class –what the Russians call ‘bazaar humour.’” Zelensky later told the BBC that he liked Monty Python, before saying that his audience was more into Benny Hill-type humour.

Zelensky had built up a reputation for playing the everyman – adept in slapstick or leading romantic comedies, with some satire thrown in. But his greatest hit would come in 2015, called Servant of the People. In it, Zelensky played Vasyl Holoborodko, a self-effacing high-school teacher, who is filmed by a student unleashing a profanity-filled rant against Ukraine's political class. Holoborodko becomes a viral sensation and, despite not really running, an election campaign would land him the presidency. Not trusting those who came before him, Holoborodko surrounds himself with his oldest friends. Sound somewhat familiar?

The show, airing on the 1+1 network, was a hit, giving viewers a chance to laugh and dream about reforming the country in the wake of the protests that led to the ousting of Viktor Yanukovych the previous year. Zelensky would go on to name a political party after his show and ride a wave of dissatisfaction in the status quo all the way to high office. He used his inexperience to his advantage, with less of a concrete set of policies or a track record to be attacked than his rivals. He said that he was aware the people wanted “something new, they want to get a person with a human face”. He relied less on official speeches and rallies and more on videos via social media.

This would continue once he gained 73 per cent of the vote in the second round of the presidential vote and entered office, with regular informal fireside chat-style videos – including one where he pulls into a McDonald’s drive-through and orders. Although recent videos have tried to ensure Zelensky is seen as a commander-in-chief, there was no shortage of the theatrics that marked him out as a showman during the first year of his presidency. An open competition was held for the role of his press secretary, with 4,000 candidates being tested on their qualifications – but also their sense of humour and tolerance for stress. In October, to try and counter accusations that his office wasn't being as transparent as had been expected, Zelensky held a 14-hour press conference at Kiev food market in October 2019.

It was not all plain sailing. Efforts at peace for the Donbas region stalled after some early attempts at diplomacy – and had moved little in the time before the Russian military action. On the second strand of Zelensky's presidential run – “deoligarachisation” (not unlike the aims of the TV character he played) – there has also been some movement, with legislation that legally defined oligarchs and subjected them to restrictions, including a ban on financing political parties. However, critics believe the measures to be superficial and aimed at favour from western allies, rather than dealing with deep-rooted issues. Zelensky has also faced staunch criticism for his links to Ihor Kolomoisky, the tycoon whose 1+1 network ran Servant of the People and whose wider media empire endorsed Zelensky's campaign. The Ukrainian president has repeatedly denied he is a “puppet” of Kolomoisky.

Zelensky has also had to tread a careful line when it comes to the US and the west at large, with Kiev relying on the US in particular for military aid and wider diplomatic support. Zelensky's 14-hour press conference marathon came a month after details of a phone call between Zelensky and the then US president Donald Trump, from July 2019, began to emerge. In it, Trump appeared to suggest he wanted Zelensky to investigate the business dealings of Hunter Biden, son of presidential rival Joe Biden, in return for a visit to Washington and military aid. Trump and Zelensky both denied any quid pro quo. Trump was impeached by Democrats in the US House of Representatives over articles that involved this call but cleared in a trial in the US Senate.

Zelensky muddled through this period, but it was indicative of a leader who has struggled to find his voice as a statesman – seemingly one of the few characters the president has been unable to convince people about. He has sought to walk a similarly fine line when it comes to the current crisis on his borders. He has played down suggestions from western leaders like President Biden and Boris Johnson that an invasion from Russia is imminent, saying such talk isn't helpful.

Zelensky's approval ratings have been falling for some time and he knows he is between a rock and a hard place. He cannot admonish the west too heavily, he needs its support, but also has to show to his electorate that he can keep them safe. Having been elected on a promise to work towards peace, he also has to show that he is still open to discussions.

Zelensky had travelled to the Munich Security Conference on Saturday and called on Putin to choose a place where the two leaders could meet to try to resolve the crisis: “Ukraine will continue to follow only the diplomatic path for the sake of a peaceful settlement”. The Ukrainian president also accused western leaders of a “policy of appeasement” towards Moscow and demanded Ukraine be given new security guarantees – western sanctions against Russia are seemingly what Zelensky is after, to try and get Moscow to back down before the situation escalates further.

The situation is now fundamentally different. Zelensky will need western leaders, Putin, and the people of Ukraine to take his authority seriously. It is the toughest role of his life.