Watch Zelenksy's rise from comic actor to 'international hero' 3:04
(CNN Spanish) --
This is a glimpse into the life of Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine who has become a symbol of resistance to Russia after the February 24 invasion.
5 memorable phrases of Volodymyr Zelensky, the atypical president of Ukraine facing war with Russia
Personal information
Date of birth:
January 25, 1978 (41 years old)
Place of birth:
Kryvyy Rih, Soviet Union (now Ukraine)
Full name:
Volodymyr Zelensky
Marriage:
Olena Zelenska (born February 6, 1978)
(UKRINFORM/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Children:
a daughter and a son with Olena Zelenska
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Education:
Kryvyy Rih Economic Institute, law, 2000
Religion:
Jewish
Other data
Before becoming president of Ukraine, Zelensky was a successful actor and comedian, best remembered for his role in the 2015 series "Servant of the People," a political satire in which Zelensky plays a high school teacher who becomes president of Ukraine.
The series not only made Zelensky a star.
He eventually served as a springboard for his real-life presidential campaign.
In April 2019, a month after the show ended, the comedian-turned-politician was elected president of Ukraine, defeating Petro Poroshenko.
This is Ukraine: timeline, data, history and facts about the country
But his tenure has been difficult.
The first few months were marred by the quid-pro-quo scandal that saw former US President Donald Trump attempt to put pressure on Ukraine to unearth the dirty laundry of his election opponent and now President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
Zelensky calls on the world to demonstrate for Ukraine 0:55
The covid-19 then swept Ukraine.
And Zelensky's campaign promises, such as ending the war in eastern Ukraine and rooting out corruption, remain unfulfilled.
Chronology
April 21, 2019 —
Political newcomer Zelensky declares victory in Ukraine's presidential election after exit polls showed he was on course for a landslide victory against incumbent Poroshenko.
Zelensky's populist campaign focused on his promise to fight corruption and revive the economy.
July 21, 2019 —
Zelensky's party wins a majority of seats in parliament during snap elections, ordered after he was sworn in as president.
July 25, 2019 -
Zelensky speaks with Trump on the phone.
Trump is asking Zelensky to work with Giuliani and Attorney General Bill Barr on an investigation of Biden, according to notes from the call released following a whistleblower complaint about the president's conduct.
Trump is later reported to have told his acting chief of staff that he would block nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine before speaking to Zelensky.
This has been, day by day, the war in Ukraine: data and chronology about the Russian invasion
October 1, 2019 -
Zelensky agrees to hold local elections in eastern Ukraine and signs agreements with Russia, European monitors and separatists in the region.
The deal could pave the way for peace talks between Zelensky, Putin and European leaders.
Ukrainian nationalists protest the deal, describing it as capitulation to Russia.
March 4, 2020 —
Zelensky replaces the country's prime minister, saying he expects the new prime minister to "do the impossible."
Ukraine's parliament approves Denis Shmygal as the new prime minister, after accepting Oleksiy Honcharuk's resignation at an extraordinary session of Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament.
December 3, 2021 —
After months of steady buildups along the Russia-Ukraine border, CNN reports that Russian forces have capabilities along the Ukraine border to carry out a swift and immediate invasion, including the construction of supply lines such as medical units and fuel.
February 24, 2022 —
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech early Thursday morning, saying he had decided "to carry out a special military operation... to protect people who have been abused." and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years," repeating an unsubstantiated claim about the Russian separatist-backed Donbas region of Ukraine.
Then the war begins and Zelensky orders a general mobilization.
With information from Kara Fox, Joshua Berlinger, Michael Bociurkiw and Lisa Respers France
War Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky
