Who Is Volodymyr Zelenskiy?

Over the past three years, voters in every region of the world have turned to political candidates and parties that offer transformative change. The list includes Brazil's Bolsonaro, Mexico's Lopez Obrador, Italy's Five Star Movement and Lega, Pakistan's Imran Khan and, of course, Donald Trump.

As Ukraine moves toward presidential elections this spring, a similar wildcard figure has emerged. Meet Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a comic actor known to millions as the guy who plays Ukraine's president on television. Zelenskiy is now preparing a run for the real job, and outsiders better take him as seriously as his establishment rivals do.

Here's what you need to know:

The TV star: Zelenskiy became a TV star in Ukraine about 15 years ago. He has used his show "Evening Block" to mock politicians for many years. On a show called "Servant of the People," Zelenskiy played a school teacher who becomes Ukraine's president after his online tirade against corruption goes viral.

The man of the people: To separate himself from politicians he derides as pompous elites, Zelenskiy makes a point of never wearing a jacket. After announcing his candidacy, he pledged to hire a full team of campaign workers who have no political experience. He posts artfully amateurish videos of himself on his Facebook page talking about his hopes for Ukraine's future.

The nationalist?: Zelenskiy's supported the 2014 Maidan protests against Russian-backed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. After Russia invaded Crimea, Zelenskiy shut down his largest business in Russia and refused to perform there in the future.

The peacemaker?: He has pledged to solve problems based on public polling rather than his own convictions–and to sit down with Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine's eastern provinces if voters told him to. This makes some in Ukraine, particularly the more anti-Russian western regions, nervous because Zelenskiy's first language is Russian and he still has business ties there. This leads some to suspect that Zelenskiy might sell out Ukrainian interests, especially because he has also expressed disdain for attempts to move Ukraine closer toward Europe.

The puppet?: Rivals have accused Zelenskiy of being the frontman for an exiled Ukrainian oligarch, Ihor Kolomoisky, who wants to avoid criminal charges of plundering the assets of a privatized bank. It remains unclear who'll pay for Zelenskiy's campaign.

The media man: Supporters and critics alike credit the on-camera experience and media savvy of Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump for much of their political success. Zelenskiy is likewise a master of media, and therefore a formidable opponent for establishment politicians. He's also using social media much more effectively and aggressively than his rivals.

The bottom line: Ukraine's conflict with Russia has essentially been frozen for the past several years, and its March election offers voters a chance to decide how they want their country to move forward. Zelenskiy has a legitimate outside shot at winning the presidential election, and his appeal for voters in pro-Russian regions means he's a candidate that outsiders—in Europe, Russia, and elsewhere—should be watching closely.

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer sits down with Jennifer Sciubba to explore a looming global crisis: population collapse. With fertility rates below replacement levels in two-thirds of the world, what does this mean for the future of work, healthcare, and retirement systems? In the US, Vice President-Elect JD Vance and Elon Musk are already sounding the alarm, the latter saying it's “a much bigger risk” to civilization than global warming. Can governments do anything to stop it?

Senegal's Presidential Bassirou Diomaye Faye casts his ballot during the early legislative election, at a polling station in Ndiaganiao, Mbour, Senegal on Nov. 17, 2024.

Abdou Karim Ndoye/Senegal's Presidency/Handout via Reuters

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye called the snap vote eight months after taking office, seeking a majority mandate for economic reforms as the country grapples with high inflation and widespread unemployment.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva greets UN General-Secretary Antonio Guterres ahead of the G20 summit, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Nov. 16, 2024.

Ricardo Stuckert/Brazilian Presidency/Handout via Reuters

As G20 leaders meet in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, it’s not just the city’s famed statue of Christ the Redeemer casting a shadow: it’s US President-elect Donald Trump.

President Joe Biden, South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba participate in a trilateral meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru, on Nov. 15, 2024.

REUTERS/Leah Millis

In a joint press conference on Friday at the APEC summit in Lima, Peru, US President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, and Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba warned of the latest “dangerous and destabilizing” cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

Former President Donald Trump attends court during closing arguments in his civil business fraud trial at the New York Supreme Court on Jan. 11, 2024.
John Nacion/NurPhoto via Reuters

Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election puts the country in an unprecedented position. He’s the first convicted felon to win the presidency and was elected to the nation’s highest office while facing multiple criminal cases at the federal and state level. What will happen to these criminal proceedings?

- YouTube

The world is quietly being reshaped by a demographic time bomb: Birthrates are plummeting, and the global population is rapidly aging. By 2050, one in six people will be over 65. While the overall population is still increasing—driven by growth in developing countries like Nigeria and Pakistan—experts predict it will peak in about 60 years. The shift to depopulation will have huge implications for the future of work, healthcare, and retirement. So what can we do about it? On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer breaks down the different strategies governments are using to try to get people to have more kids, particularly in East Asia, where the population crisis is severe.

The Puerto Princesa Forest Restoration Initiative is a project to plant more than 400,000 seedlings to restore Palawan forests destroyed by Super Typhoon Odette in the Philippines. It’s part of a larger global effort by the Priceless Planet Coalition, launched by Mastercard with Conservation International and the World Resources Institute, to fund the restoration of 100 million trees around the world. These projects extend beyond carbon sequestration — they’re aimed at creating economic opportunities for women in the region, enabling them to better provide for their families. Read more about how many local women and community members are leading the charge on nursery construction, maintenance, and seedling production.

- YouTube

Listen: The world is on the brink of one of the most fundamental demographic shifts in modern human history: populations are getting older, and birth rates are plummeting. By 2050, one in six people on Earth will be over 65, which will have a huge impact on the future of work, healthcare, and social security. On the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with Jennifer Sciubba, President & CEO of the Population Reference Bureau, to discuss declining fertility, the aging crisis, and why government efforts all over the world to get people to have more babies don’t seem to be working.