Volodymyr Zelensky is from the industrial region of eastern Ukraine, the electoral breeding ground for parties oriented towards Russia and his parents, technical engineers in industry. Banking on a Ukrainian identity that is “civic” not “ethnic” – he is Russian-speaking and spoke little Ukrainian before – the young head of state does not come from the oligarchy in place but from the entertainment world. Popular but inexperienced, he finds himself in the bath bluntly. Faced with war, he can count on the support of his family, his pillars. married to Olena Kiyachkowhom he met in high school, he is the father of two children: Oleksandra (2005) and Kirilo (2013).
Since Russia wants to intervene in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has shown in his speeches a “dignity and remarkable intelligence“, explains Professor Cécile Vaissié. His calm, perhaps resulting from his experience as an actor, impressed as Le Parisien points out: “Even Emmanuel Macron was impressed, according to those around him. Russian soldiers at its gates.“The sequence of events will tell whether his attitude and his voluntarism will be enough to deal with this serious crisis.