Zelenskyy’s rise in Ukraine, from TV star to president.
Subscribe and turn on notifications 🔔 so you don’t miss any videos:
Once known for his political comedy sketches and skits where he pretended to play the piano with his penis, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected as the president of Ukraine in 2019 in a landslide victory.
Although he promised that his presidency would be different from other Ukrainian leaders who “promise a lot” yet “do nothing,” President Zelenskyy would soon find himself unpopular with the public. Within two years, he had already navigated scandals like his offshore companies appearing in the Pandora Papers and struggled to fulfill his campaign pledge to end the war against Russia in the Donbas region of Ukraine.
But the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, found him extremely well-positioned to offer his skills in performance and storytelling to motivate Ukrainians, rally Europe, and undermine Putin’s propaganda. How will his reaction to Russia’s advances affect his legacy?
We chose 8 clips that we feel explain President Zelenskyy’s rise from a comedian to the leader of Ukraine and had journalists and experts respond.
Further reading:
Simon Shuster, reporter at Time Magazine, interviewed in the video above, wrote a profile on President Zelenskyy:
For more information on how social media shaped Zelenskyy’s victory in Ukraine, check out this piece by Maryana Drach: Report_Maryana Drach_2020_Final 2 (9).pdf
Mykhailo Minakov, expert at the Wilson Center, and featured in the video above, wrote an analysis on Zelenskyy’s decline in popularity and the failures of his presidency
How Zelenskyy downplayed the war in January:
Listen to this episode of Vox’s podcast Today, Explained on Zelenskyy:
Understand Putin’s war on Ukraine, explained here:
Stay up to date on our reporting of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, here:
Make sure you never miss behind the scenes content in the Vox Video newsletter, sign up here:
is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what’s really driving the events in the headlines. Check out
Support Vox’s reporting with a one-time or recurring contribution:
Shop the Vox merch store:
Watch our full video catalog:
Follow Vox on Facebook:
Follow Vox on Twitter:
Follow Vox on TikTok: @voxdotcom
1 view
1936
592
10 months ago 00:00:43 1
Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Ottawa #shorts
10 months ago 00:05:55 1
Volodymyr Zelenskyy 2016 Playing Piano with Penis
10 months ago 00:00:29 1
Moment Hungary’s Viktor Orban fails to clap Zelensky as he joins EU family photo
10 months ago 00:03:36 1
Dave Stewart, Boris Grebenshikov & Serhii Babkin - Face to Face (feat. Stevie Nicks)
11 months ago 00:00:46 1
Vladimir Putin attacks Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Jewish heritage
11 months ago 02:14:00 1
NATO Secretary General with the President of Ukraine 🇺🇦 Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 11 OCT 2023
11 months ago 00:00:11 198
Zelensky Dancing Ukraine to Destruction.
11 months ago 00:00:37 1
CCTV captures moment Russian missile strikes market in Donetsk, Ukraine
11 months ago 00:02:20 1
House Speaker apologizes for honouring Ukrainian who fought with Nazi unit
11 months ago 00:02:06 1
Ukraine confirms use of US-provided ATACMS missiles
11 months ago 00:00:51 1
Ukraine uses long-range missiles for first time
11 months ago 00:01:54 25
Kherson Airport - 10 Helicopters May Have Been Destroyed by Ukrainian Attack | Video of Kherson
11 months ago 00:13:08 1
Zelensky Asks Occultist Marina Abramovic To Be Ambassador For Ukraine!
11 months ago 00:05:41 1
Зеленський нагородив військових та оглянув танки Leopard 2
11 months ago 01:03:49 1
Ukraine’s Counteroffensive - Breach, not Breakthrough: Minefields, tactics and emerging lessons
11 months ago 00:05:22 1
Ukraine’s victory over Russian terror will be shared victory of all people in the world – Zelenskyy
11 months ago 01:02:53 1
Ukraine as ’Big Israel’ and the Heavenly Jerusalem Project
11 months ago 00:00:26 1
EU US support for Ukraine is waning, but it’s up to Zelenskyy to decide what happens next
11 months ago 00:26:04 1
War in Ukraine: A week that shook the world | DW News
11 months ago 00:08:16 4
Chemical inferno at new electric plant; Russia missile attack | 9 News Australia
11 months ago 00:02:58 1
Russian attack kills at least 50 at shop in Kharkiv | DW News
11 months ago 00:00:52 1
Russian missile strike kills 51 in Ukraine shopping district
11 months ago 00:00:55 1
To save unity in Europe: President Zelenskyy in Spanish Granada to attend European Summit
11 months ago 00:01:20 1
1st Black Canadian House Speaker kicks off parliament with joke: “Please treat me like that new car”