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Volodymyr Zelenskyy's journey from top movie star to a president fighting for Ukraine

Zelenskyy once essayed the role of Ukraine's President on a popular TV show, before taking on the onus in real life

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is earning accolades after he decided to step into the frontlines to defend his country against the Russians. Photos of the 44-year-old president in combat gear emerged online, as people across the world lauded his courage and 'badass' attitude. Zelenskyy and his wife are believed to be Putin's top targets in the war against Ukraine. 

Little known to many, Zelenskyy's rise to fame did not happen through politics but the silver screen. He happens to be a former movie star who gained immense popularity through acting, before stepping into the world of politics. In fact, he once essayed the role of Ukraine's president on a popular TV show, before taking on the onus in real life. 

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Zelenskyy, who holds a degree in law, gained fame as an actor and comedian after his debut at the age of 17. He also founded the production company Kvartal 95, which produced films, TV comedy shows, and cartoons. In 2008, Zelenskyy made his feature film debut with 'Love in the Big City', followed by films like 'Office Romance', 'Our Time', 'Rzhevsky Versus Napoleon', and others. He also starred in both the sequels of 'Love in the Big City'. In 2012, he bagged the lead role in '8 First Dates'. 

Even as a member of the entertainment industry, Zelenskyy has always been politically vocal, as he once opposed the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture's decision to ban Russian artists in Ukraine. He himself worked mostly in Russian language productions. Zelenskyy's big break came in 2015 with the comedy TV series 'Servant of the People' where he played the President of Ukraine. The series showed him rising to power from a high school history teacher to the country's supreme leader after a video of his rant against government corruption went viral. 

In real life, Zelenskyy's political career started in 2018 when people from the crew of Kvartal 95 launched the political party Servant of the People, in accordance with their TV show name. In December 2018, Zelenskyy unseated the incumbent President Petro Poroshenko with a landslide victory in the presidential elections. 

Zelenskyy is currently facing his biggest challenge since becoming the Ukrainian President, while his courage and bravery have turned him into a true global hero overnight. He even turned down the US offer to evacuate him from Kyiv and decided to fight in the frontlines with his fellow countrymen. 

"President Vladimir Zelenskyi is a true leader who stands with his people. Honor and respect," a Twitter user lauded, while another tweeted, "I haven’t voted for Zelenskyi but now I'm proud of him. It’s the bravest national leader in 21st century."

"Anybody else get the feeling Zelenskyi has been looking for a reason to kill a few Russians for a while now? This isn’t bravado, this isn’t politics. This is a president defending his homeland with his life. And he is staring into that, and not blinking. What a badass," a third user noted. 

Another said, "Sir, I wish you were my country's president. You're a hero to not only your people, but to the people of this world. Much love and respect to you. May God be with you and all of the people of Ukraine."