How Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky went from a goofball actor to a Churchillian hero leading West against Putin
HE once played a comedy president on TV & tore up the ballroom on Dancing With The Stars - but now he is the bulwark standing between the West and Mad Vlad.
Volodymyr Zelensky has become the epitome of an unlikely hero - going from a goofball actor to drawing comparisons with Britain's great wartime leader Winston Churchill.
The 45-year-old dad-of-two was the dubbed voice of Paddington Bear for Ukraine, and played President Goloborodko on TV comedy "Servant of the People".
Goloborodko was a bumbling teacher who becomes the Ukrainian leader essentially by accident before going on to grow into his role and lead his nation to a new future.
"Putin has been toppled," Zelensky - playing Goloborodko - declares in one scene, in a gag which is almost bone-chilling now.
Widely seen as a political outsider and anti-establishment figure, he won a shock victory in the 2019 election - running on a pledge to end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia that Putin started by annexing Crimea in 2014.
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He was reasonably popular domestically, and had brief appearances on the world stage - including notoriously being drawn into Donald Trump's first impeachment trial after he was accused of trying to blackmail Ukraine.
But now one-year on from the Vlad's very real invasion of Ukraine, the former actor is now known the world over for his charisma and steely determination.
With his gruff demeanor, penchant for military fatigues, uncropped stubble, and a fearless look in his eyes, Zelensky has transformed from a TV star playing at politics to an international hero.
"I think that Zelensky couldn’t have even dreamed of this four years ago," Serhii Rudenko, who authored a biography on the actor-turned-president, told The Sun Online.
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"The war has changed everything. It has toughened Zelensky and made him a true world leader - a true world star."
He added: "The future of Ukraine but also the future of the whole world depends on him."
And he explained that Zelensky transformation is indicative of how all Ukrainians have had to change as they face down Putin's war machine.
Zelensky addressed his nation almost one year ago - appearing on TV clean shaven and wearing a suit as Russian tanks were days from streaming over the border.
"We don’t need the war," Zelensky pleaded - before giving perhaps a first glimpse at his steel, warning Putin: "When you will be attacking us, you will see our faces, not our backs, but our faces."
Sadly his plea for peace fell on deaf ears, and the tyrannical Vlad ordered tens of thousands of Russia soldiers to attack.
Helicopters were flying overhead, missiles were falling across Ukraine, and many fully expected the full of Kyiv to happen in days - if not hours.
Misinformation and rumour was running rife, and it is believed Russian kill squads had been inserted into the capital with the job of either capturing or killing Zelensky.
And then came the malicious murmurs that the president had abandoned his people and fled Ukraine.
Zelensky was quick to shoot this down - with a selfie video filmed with his staff as they walked the streets of Kyiv.
"We are here. We are in Kyiv. We are protecting Ukraine," he told the world, setting the tone for the next year of bloody warfare.
It later emerged the US had offered to evacuate him from Ukraine as the Russians beared down on Kyiv.
US officials claim he replied: "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride."
Zelensky's determination to stay in Kyiv brought on the first comparisons with Churchill - who famously refused to leave London even as Nazi bombs fell during the Blitz.
For both, it showed true Blitz Spirit.
This moment appears to have been the start of Zelensky's new persona, and - according to Mr Rudenko - this is was a part of his character no one had expected, even in Ukraine.
"Before the war, the opposition would often accuse Zelensky of being indecisive in negotiations with Russia," he told The Sun Online.
"I, too, could never have thought that Volodymyr would become a wartime hero."
Zelensky's messages to Ukraine, his addresses to the world, his visits with world leaders, and his trips to the frontlines and scenes Putin's atrocities all showed his character.
He nearly broke down in tears as he visited the scenes of the Russian massacre in Bucha, he slogged with his troops through the mud as he stepped down into the trenches in Zaporizhzhia, and he walked through the ruins of Mykolaiv.
It is a stark contrast to Putin - who hasn't visited the frontline since the start of the war, instead remaining isolated in his bunker - often holding meetings via video link - and making rare, carefully managed and often staged public appearances.
Mr Rudenko explained: "The war has changed all people in Ukraine, without exception. It has changed me, my relatives, and my children.
"Zelensky has changed, too. The war has revealed another Zelensky to us - a courageous, brave, and confident in himself and his people, Zelensky.
"Before the war, I was always under the impression that I was watching not President Zelensky, but the actor Zelensky masquerading as a president."
The biographer went on: "His gestures, articulation, and theatrical techniques. All this was in Zelensky’s arsenal at the start of his presidential career.
"However, during the past year, we could see a sincere person who is going through challenging times with his people. I am sure that the fact that we see such a Zelensky is also a merit of the Ukrainian people.
"I believe that the courage and heroism of the Ukrainians who are waging the people’s war against Putin, encourage Zelensky to be the best and bravest."
[Churchill and Zelensky] have both courageously led their countries in times of severe adversity during war. They both embody Churchill's famous maxim 'Never give in'
Justin Reash
Zelensky has for the most part remained in Ukraine and has had one clear mission - drum up international support and get hold of weapons to help his people defeat Putin.
Boris Johnson became the first world leader to visit him - sparking a friendship that was key in lighting a fire beneath the West in supporting Ukraine.
";Most world leaders, including Joe Biden, Olaf Scholz, and Emmanuel Macron, consider it an honor to call Zelensky their friend," said Mr Rudenko.
And as the war has rolled on Zelensky has also travelled abroad - with historic visits to the US and the UK.
But at all times he remains clad in his military fatigues, even when meeting with King Charles and going to the White House.
More comparisons came with Churchill, who was often was seen clad in his simple romper suit - or siren suit - even when visiting Washington.
Mr Rudenko said he is not a "huge fan" of the comparison, saying "Churchill is Churchill. Zelensky is Zelensky."
He added: "There are days, if not years, of war ahead of us. Let us compare Zelensky and Churchill after our victory over Russia."
But there are parallels - and Zelensky himself even hinted at them when he visited Westminster, telling a story of how he sat on Churchill's chair in the Cabinet War Rooms.
And he even threw up a "V for Victory" sign after he spoke at the House of Commons.
Justin Reash, executive director of the International Churchill Society (ICS), told The Sun Online there are comparisons to be drawn between the two leaders - but warned against "absolutes".
"They have both courageously led their countries in times of severe adversity during war," said Mr Reash.
"They both embody Churchill's famous maxim 'Never give in'.
"Both leaders share an innate understanding of the importance of being seen to lead from the front and of the need for visual imagery with which people can identify.
"For Churchill it was the bulldog scowl, the siren suit and omnipresent cigar.
"For Zelensky it is the combat dress. They also both appreciate the need for having allies and to travel to maintain those key relationships."
Mr Reash added: "[Zelensky] has taken a stand when it really mattered to defend his nation's sovereignty in response to an illegal and unprovoked invasion.
"Many leaders can learn from his example of 'leading from the front'."
Time will tell whether the immediate comparisons between Zelensky and Churchill are fair - and is is feared the hardest days of the war at yet to come from Ukraine.
As the world marks one year since Vlad's invasion, the winter stalemate appears to be beginning to thaw.
Fears of a massive invasion-scale new offensive have not yet panned out - but the Russians are pushing on.
Ukraine has fought valiantly and against the odds, but they are facing one of the largest county's in the world with a massive military and a mannical tyrant at the helm.
Putin doubled down on his war in a rambling two hour long speech earlier this week.
He blamed the West and continued to peddle his deranged idea that somehow Ukrainians - who have a 91 per cent approval rating for Zelensky - want to be "liberated" by Russia.
Leaked spy emails revealed just how deeply ingrained this bizarre belief is for Putin.
His spies fed him dodgy intel that there would be an uprising against Kyiv the moment Russian troops crossed in Ukraine.
It is this assessments that informed his thinking in his botched day one assault - sending in a mish-mashed and poorly equipped army not prepared for a drawn out war.
And instead of being met with cheering crowds waving Russian flags - they were met with a defiant population ready to defend their homes.
The ICS - which studies and preserves Churchill's incredible legacy - "recognizes and applauds President Zelensky's courageous leadership on behalf of the Ukrainian people in the spirit of Sir Winston Churchill".
