Zelenskyy

Person

The President of Ukraine. A Time Magazine article is discussed where his own aides describe him as 'delusional' for refusing to consider peace negotiations with Russia.


First Mentioned

1/11/2026, 5:29:58 AM

Last Updated

1/11/2026, 5:40:38 AM

Research Retrieved

1/11/2026, 5:40:38 AM

Summary

Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy is the sixth President of Ukraine, serving since May 2019. Born in Kryvyi Rih in 1978, he transitioned from a successful career as a comedian and actor—most notably starring in the satirical series 'Servant of the People'—to a political leader after winning the 2019 election in a landslide victory against Petro Poroshenko. His presidency has been defined by the Russo-Ukrainian War, particularly the full-scale Russian invasion that began in February 2022. Zelenskyy gained international acclaim for his refusal to evacuate Kyiv and his role as a wartime communicator, earning the title of Time Person of the Year in 2022. However, his leadership has also faced internal and external scrutiny; a 2023 Time Magazine article quoting aides who described him as 'delusional' regarding the war's progress was characterized by commentator David Sacks as a 'Kronite Moment,' signaling a potential shift in the Western narrative of the conflict. Due to ongoing martial law, his term has been extended beyond its original May 2024 expiration.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Religion

    Jewish

  • Education

    Law degree from Kyiv National Economic University

  • Full Name

    Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy

  • Date of Birth

    1978-01-25

  • Place of Birth

    Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine (then USSR)

  • Political Party

    Servant of the People

  • Production Company

    Kvartal 95

  • Election Victory Margin

    73.23 percent of the vote

Timeline
  • Born in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. (Source: Britannica)

    1978-01-25

  • Premiere of the TV series 'Servant of the People' in which Zelenskyy played a fictional president. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2015-10-16

  • Registration of the 'Servant of the People' political party by employees of Kvartal 95. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2018-03-31

  • Formally announced candidacy for the Ukrainian presidency. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2018-12-31

  • Won the second round of the presidential election in a landslide victory. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2019-04-21

  • Inaugurated as the sixth President of Ukraine. (Source: Britannica)

    2019-05-20

  • Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine; Zelenskyy declared martial law and remained in Kyiv. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2022-02-24

  • Named Time Person of the Year for 2022. (Source: EBSCO Research Starters)

    2022-12-07

  • Time Magazine published an article quoting aides describing Zelenskyy as 'delusional,' later cited as a 'Kronite Moment' by David Sacks. (Source: All-In Podcast Episode 152)

    2023-10-30

  • Original scheduled end of presidential term, postponed due to ongoing martial law. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2024-05-20

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War with Russia's annexation of Crimea and invasion of the Donbas, and has continued to serve during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has been ongoing since February 2022. Born in Kryvyi Rih into a Russian-speaking Jewish family, Zelenskyy obtained a law degree at the city's Institute of Economics; he never practiced, however, instead pursuing a career in comedy and entertainment. Zelenskyy co-created the production company Kvartal 95, which produced films, cartoons, and TV shows including the TV series Servant of the People, in which he played a fictional Ukrainian president. The series aired from 2015 to 2019 and was immensely popular. A political party with the same name as the TV show was created in March 2018 by employees of Kvartal 95. Zelenskyy announced his candidacy in the 2019 presidential election on the evening of 31 December 2018, alongside the New Year's Eve address of then-president Petro Poroshenko on the TV channel 1+1. A political outsider, Zelenskyy positioned himself as an anti-establishment and anti-corruption figure, and had already become one of the frontrunners in opinion polls for the election months before he formally declared his candidacy. He won the election with 73.23 percent of the vote in the second round, defeating Poroshenko in the biggest landslide in the history of Ukrainian presidential elections. As president, Zelenskyy has been a proponent of e-government and of unity between the Ukrainian- and Russian-speaking parts of the country's population. He makes extensive use of social media, particularly Instagram. His party won a landslide victory in the snap legislative election held shortly after his inauguration as president. During the first two years of his administration, Zelenskyy oversaw the lifting of legal immunity for members of parliament (the Verkhovna Rada), the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic recession, and some limited progress in tackling corruption in Ukraine. A poll in May 2021 by the Rating Group gave Zelenskyy the highest trust rating out of all Ukrainian presidents, and ranked him as the second-best president after Leonid Kuchma. During his presidential campaign, Zelenskyy promised to end Ukraine's protracted conflict with Russia, and he has attempted to engage in dialogue with Russian president Vladimir Putin. His administration faced an escalation of tensions with Russia in 2021, culminating in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Zelenskyy's strategy during the Russian military buildup was to calm the Ukrainian populace and assure the international community that Ukraine was not seeking to retaliate. He initially distanced himself from warnings of an imminent war, while also calling for security guarantees and military support from NATO to "withstand" the threat. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Zelenskyy remained in Kyiv, declining international offers to evacuate him from the capital under attack; he declared martial law across Ukraine and a general mobilization of the armed forces. Zelenskyy was named the Time Person of the Year for 2022. He has frequently visited frontline and newly liberated areas. Zelenskyy's term was originally scheduled to end in May 2024, but the ongoing Russian invasion and the resulting ongoing martial law prevented the regularly scheduled presidential election from being conducted. He is expected to remain president for the duration of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Due to this extension of his term, Zelenskyy is the second-longest serving president in Ukrainian history, after only Kuchma.

Web Search Results
  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy - Wikipedia

    Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War with Russia's annexation of Crimea and invasion of the Donbas, and has continued to serve during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine "Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)"), which has been ongoing since February 2022. [...] Zelenskyy was inaugurated on 20 May 2019. Various foreign officials attended the ceremony in Ukraine's parliament (Verkhovna Rada), including Salome Zourabichvili (Georgia "Georgia (country)")), Kersti Kaljulaid (Estonia), Raimonds Vējonis (Latvia), Dalia Grybauskaitė (Lithuania), János Áder (Hungary), Maroš Šefčovič (EU), and Rick Perry (United States). Zelenskyy is the first Jewish president of Ukraine; with Volodymyr Groysman as prime minister, Ukraine became the first country other than Israel to simultaneously have a Jewish head of state and head of government. [...] Zelenskyy achieved a plurality of the electorate (30%) in the first round of elections on 31 March 2019. In the second round, on 21 April 2019, he received 73 percent of the vote to Poroshenko's 25 percent in the biggest landslide victory in Ukrainian presidential elections and was elected President of Ukraine. Polish president Andrzej Duda was one of the first European leaders to congratulate Zelenskyy. French president Emmanuel Macron received Zelenskyy at the Élysée Palace in Paris on 12 April 2019. On 22 April, U.S. president Donald Trump congratulated Zelenskyy on his victory over the telephone. European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker and European Council president Donald Tusk also issued a joint letter of congratulations and stated that the European Union (EU) will work to

  • Volodymyr Zelensky | Biography, Facts, Presidency, & Russian ...

    Volodymyr Zelensky (born January 25, 1978, Kryvyy Rih, Ukraine, U.S.S.R. [now in Ukraine]) is a Ukrainian actor and comedian who was elected president of Ukraine in 2019. Although he was a political novice, Zelensky’s anti-corruption platform won him widespread support, and his significant online following translated into a solid electoral base. He won a landslide victory over incumbent Petro Poroshenko in the second round of the 2019 presidential election. President Zelensky’s leadership during the Russian invasion of Ukraine won him global acclaim. ## Early life and career as an entertainer [...] On May 20, 2019, Zelensky was sworn in as president. He used his inaugural address, which he delivered in a mix of Russian and Ukrainian, to call for national unity and to announce the dissolution of the Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council). This move was politically necessary: his presidential victory did not confer a legislative mandate, as Servant of the People did not occupy any parliamentary seats. Snap elections were held on July 21, and Zelensky himself characterized the contest as “maybe more important than the presidential election.” Servant of the People won an absolute majority, capturing 254 of 450 seats (26 seats, representing Crimea—a Ukrainian autonomous republic that was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014—and the war zone in the east, were not contested). The result marked [...] Zelensky tried to rally support from abroad, warning that a “new Iron Curtain” was descending on Europe.

  • Volodymyr Zelensky | Research Starters - EBSCO

    ## Background Volodymyr Zelensky (sometimes anglicized as Zelenskyy) was born in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, on January 25, 1978. He was from a Jewish family, with parents Alexander, a professor, and Rimma, an engineer. During Zelensky’s youth, Ukraine was a republic in the Soviet Union. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 allowed Ukraine to secure its independence but left it in a precarious position, particularly due to ongoing influence from its powerful neighbor, Russia. However, Zelensky showed little inclination toward political involvement in his country then, instead pursuing his love of comedy and acting. [...] Zelensky's leadership has been marked by substantial challenges, including navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and responding to the escalating tensions with Russia. In February 2022, he became a global symbol of resistance against the Russian invasion, famously refusing an offer to evacuate and instead rallying the nation and the world for support. Under his guidance, Ukraine received significant international military and financial aid, with Zelensky appealing to various global leaders for assistance in defending Ukraine's sovereignty. His efforts have made him a prominent figure on the international stage, leading to recognitions such as Time Magazine's Person of the Year in 2022. Balancing his public duties, Zelensky is also a family man, married to Olena Zelenska, with whom he has two [...] Research Starters Home EBSCO Knowledge Advantage TM # Volodymyr Zelensky Volodymyr Zelensky, born on January 25, 1978, in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, is a significant political figure who transitioned from a successful career in entertainment to become the sixth president of Ukraine in 2019. Prior to his presidency, Zelensky gained fame as a comedian and actor, especially noted for his role in the sitcom "Servant of the People," where he portrayed a teacher who unexpectedly becomes president. His ascent to political power capitalized on his charisma and an unorthodox campaign strategy focusing on anti-corruption.

  • Volodymyr Zelensky - World Bank Live

    Volodymyr Zelensky was born on January 25, 1978, in the city of Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region. He graduated from the Kyiv National Economic University with a degree in law and qualified as a lawyer. From 1997-2003 he was an actor, screenwriter, and artistic director of the Kvartal 95 Club. From 2003-2011 he was artistic director of Kvartal 95 Studios. From 2011-2012 he was general producer of Inter TV channel; and from 2013-2019 artistic director in Kvartal 95 Studio LLC. President Zelensky founded the NGO League of Laughter Youth Center. He has starred in 10 full-length feature films and won more than 30 awards of the National Television Prize of Ukraine "Teletriumph", as well as for many international film and television festivals and media fora. President Zelensky was the star of a [...] and media fora. President Zelensky was the star of a popular TV series, ‘Servant of the People’. The political party named after the TV show was registered in March 2018 and Zelensky won the presidency on April 21st, 2019. Read more

  • Zelensky: A Biography - Amazon.com

    Image 80 Amazon Customer ##### _5.0 out of 5 stars_ Zelensky the diplomatic and Truthsayer Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2023 Format: Hardcover This book became available to the public at the right moment in history as Russia invaded Ukraine. The short essays were extremely helpful in understanding Zelensky the man and the actor as he morphed into the role of the Ukrainian President. I, personally, enjoyed the literary style and the content as it was presented and have since become even more acquainted with the life of Serhii Rudenko Zelensky. In fact, today, I listened to Zelensky's Johns Hopkins University Commencement address where many individuals in the audience had tears of admiration and respect for this man of great courage. Having background information that was [...] Prospect Magazine "... important and detailed...: Zelensky is easily the equal of the most impressive wartime leaders the West has ever had." Owen Matthews, The Spectator "deftly charts the transformation of a former comedian into a reforming president and then, swiftly, into a charismatic wartime leader and global figure." The New Statesman ### About the Author Serhii Rudenko is a Ukrainian journalist and political commentator who has published several books on Ukrainian politicians. Image 66 TopAbout this itemSimilarFrom the AuthorReviewsImage 67: Zelensky: A BiographyZelensky: A Biography Product details [...] is duly founded, one thing leads to another, and to the country's astonishment Zelensky beats Poroshenko to become sixth president of Ukraine. Again, who knows? He might have turned out as bad as his predecessors, but that butcher in the Kremlin made the mistake of sending the Russian army to capture Kyiv and return Ukraine to Russia's greedy bosom. Instead, he managed to turn Zelensky into the Winston Churchill of the 21st century, rallying Europe and North America with his oratory and his courage. Read more) 8 people found this helpful Helpful Report

Location Data

Plazuela de Volodomir Zelensky, Piovera, Hortaleza, Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, España

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Coordinates: 40.4521709, -3.6388001

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