Everything We Know About Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has had all eyes on him since Russian President Vladimir Putin began his invasion into Ukraine. As a former TV star, comedian, and even "Dancing with the Stars" contestant, the politician has become the face of resistance for Ukraine, and he has demonstrated what it takes to be a true leader of his country. From the self-shot videos he's shared on social media in war zones to him already surviving three different assassination attempts in just a few days (via The Times), Zelenskyy is the president Ukraine needed in times like these. And it turns out that he had no prior experience working in politics before he was elected. Previously, the most he knew about being a president was when he played one on a popular Ukrainian television show.

But who really is President Zelenskyy and how did he get to where he is now? Continue reading for everything we know about Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

Before becoming the country's leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy had no prior experience working in politics. Still, the well-known comedian won with no party affiliation against Petro Poroshenko in a complete landslide, scoring more than 73% of the votes, according to BBC News. Although he had very little knowledge or political experience, Zelenskyy still managed to successfully run the world's first virtual presidential campaign. 

Now we know what you are thinking — how do you run for president virtually? Well, according to Politico, Zelenskyy campaigned, but it wasn't face to face. There weren't any speeches held in person, rallies full of large crowds, press conferences, or public meetings in town halls. Zelenskyy was actually still in the process of shooting episodes of his television show, "Servant of the People," at the start of his campaign. Instead of going along with the typical process, Zelenskyy turned to social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seen across the world as a war hero for his immense bravery as he is fighting for, and alongside, his country against Russia. Not only is he admired for his leadership by Ukrainian people, but also many Jewish people as well. According to The Times of Israel, President Zelenskyy comes from a Jewish family and had multiple family members fight during World War II. Many of his relatives, including three of his great uncles, lost their lives fighting against the Nazis. 

As Russia continues to invade Ukraine, President Zelenskyy has expressed that the behaviors of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his troops against Ukrainian people are similar to Nazis' during WWII (via The Times of Israel). When discussing the Russian attacks over a Zoom call with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Zekenskyy described the bombings as "Pure Nazism." He said, "[Putin] is just destroying the citizens of Ukraine of different nationalities. This is just pure Nazi behavior. I can't even qualify this in any different manner." 

One of the sites that has been attacked by Russian troops is Babyn Yar, a location where thousands of Jewish people were murdered during the Holocaust. After the attacks, Zelensky tweeted, "To the world: what is the point of saying 'never again' for 80 years, if the world stays silent when a bomb drops on the same site of Babyn Yar? At least 5 killed. History repeating."

In his personal life, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been married to his wife, Olena Zelenska, for over 19 years. According to People, Zelenskyy and Zelenska met while she was studying architecture and writing at Kryvyi Rih National University. The couple dated for eight years before tying the knot back in September 2003, as noted by The U.S. Sun, and they have been together ever since. One year later, the pair welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Oleksandra, in July 2004, and in January 2013, they had their first son, Kyrylo. Zelenska is involved in screenwriting at Kvartal 95 Studio, her husband's production company. 

Zelenska was "not too happy" when she first learned her husband was interested in running for president, as she shared in an interview with Vogue Ukraine in 2019. "I realized how everything would change, and what difficulties we would have to face," she stated. She discussed how she originally found out about her husband's presidential campaign through the media because Zelenskyy simply forgot to tell her. "My husband knows how to surprise," she jokingly said. 

Although President Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not often talk openly about his Jewish religion to the public, he is viewed by many as a Jewish hero his country needs amidst the Russian invasion. Zelenskyy was born to Jewish parents in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih, also known as the Pale of Settlement within the Russian Empire. and spoke Russian (via Britannica). Kryvyi Rih is where many Jewish families "were allowed to live and work," according to The New York Times. However, the Jewish people living there continued to suffer an endless amount of anti-Semitic attacks.

Zelenskyy does not bring up his Jewish identity often, and has said that his religion is only a small part of who he is as a person and as a leader. In an interview with The Times of Israel in 2020, he talked about how he grew up in "an ordinary Soviet Jewish Family." He said, "Most Jewish families in the Soviet Union were not religious."  

During his presidential campaign in 2019, one of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's main goals as president was to crack down on corruption within Ukraine and to fix the country's oligarch ruling system (via The Guardian). If you are unfamiliar with a Russian oligarch, they are business leaders with an enormous amount of wealth and are associated with powerful people in politics, as noted by CBS News. Additionally, there are many oligarchs who hold positions of power under Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Although Zelenskyy won the election in a landslide, there are many people who believed his methods of eliminating the oligarchy might not work exactly as he planned — not only because he is an inexperienced politician, but also because of how much power the oligarchs hold. According to BBC News, Zelenskyy wrote a De-oligarchisation Bill, saying, "There will be no influence on mass media, no influence on politics, no influence on officials." The news outlet noted that whoever is considered an influence will be ticketed, and big businesses "may lose a great share of its assets," as Zelenskyy shared.

What sticks out the most about President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is his commitment to fighting alongside his people and not running away from the issue at hand. He has made it well known throughout the course of the devastating Russian invasion that he is not intimidated by President Vladimir Putin. People reported that when the United States offered to evacuate him from the city of Kyiv in Ukraine in order to protect him against Russia's attacks, he turned it down almost immediately. "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride," Zelenskyy responded, once again proving that a true leader stands by his country and not leaving in a time of need.

Known for his empowering words, the president received a standing ovation after delivering a speech to the European Parliament after submitting an application to grant Ukraine European Union Membership. "We're fighting for our land and our freedom despite the fact that all our cities are now blocked. Nobody is going to break us, we're strong, we're Ukrainians," he said (via People). He later continued, saying, "Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness. Glory be to Ukraine!"