President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky was recently chosen as the "Times" man of the year.
He became the face of the Ukrainian resistance to Russia and President Vladimir Putin, after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 thanks to his fiery speeches before the United Nations and nightly to its citizens - and due to the decision not to leave Ukraine at the start of the war. Zelensky has not left the borders of his country since the invasion, and last night he surprised the world when he announced that he would make a surprise visit to the United States and meet with President Joe Biden, as part of his efforts to increase the world's support and assistance to Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky (Photo: Reuters)
The 44-year-old was politically inexperienced when he was elected president.
He was known as a comedian and actor in a TV series about a teacher who accidentally became president.
The program "Servant of the People" was broadcast for four years, which made him a household name.
Since the Russian invasion, he has also won the hearts of the world.
He poses for videos in which he implores his people to keep fighting while wearing a military t-shirt and protective vests.
In recorded speeches, he called on Western leaders to increase aid to defeat Putin.
Frustrated by the West's unwillingness to intervene militarily in the war, he urged Western countries to supply Ukraine with ammunition, equipment, air defense systems and fighter jets, and warned that Poland, Romania, Moldova and the Baltic states might be Putin's next victims.
More in Walla!
Do not compromise on unsatisfactory sex: this is how you will improve performance - with an exclusive discount
Served on behalf of "Gabra"
Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife visit Yad Vashem in 2020 (photo: courtesy of the photos, official website)
Zelensky - the sixth president of Ukraine - was elected president on May 20, 2019 and defeated the incumbent president Petro Poroshenko, with 73% of the vote, thanks to the fact that he branded himself as an outsider committed to uprooting corruption in the country and strengthening ties with the West, against the background of the eastern country's desire European to join the European Union.
His political party is named after the TV show he starred in.
Zelensky studied law at university and after graduating, entered the entertainment business and founded a production company.
He also appeared on Dancing with the Stars in 2006 and voiced Paddington Bear in the British animated film.
Russian target: the Zelensky family (photo: official website, Instagram)
Vladimir Zelensky's speech at the United Nations (Photo: Reuters)
Zelensky was born on January 25, 1978 and grew up in a poor, Russian-speaking region of southeastern Ukraine.
He is Jewish, and several members of his family were murdered in the Holocaust and his grandfather served in World War II as an officer in the Soviet Army.
His father, a mathematician, and his mother, an engineer, chose to stay in Ukraine while many Jews fled to the United States or Israel, when the Soviet Union opened its doors.
Childhood friends remember how Zelensky stood out as a child because he had an earring and good grades.
He himself did not refer too much to his Judaism, but said in 2020 that he came from an ordinary Soviet-Jewish family and that most of these families were not religious.
He ignored the fact that the Jews in the Soviet Union had to hide their identity.
When Putin said the purpose of the Russian invasion was to de-Nazify the Ukrainian leadership, Zelensky was quick to condemn the statement.
Zelensky is married to Olana Lazanska, whom he met at university.
The couple has two children - Oleksandra and Kirilo.
Western intelligence agencies believe that Zelensky is the first on the list of people the Russian military wants to eliminate.
According to Zelensky, his family members rank second.
news
world news
Europe
Tags
Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukraine
United States
Joe Biden
Russia
Vladimir Putin
Jews