Vladimir Zelensky - President of Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelensky is a young Ukrainian politician who unexpectedly won the country's presidential elections in 2019. Previously, Zelensky was known in Ukraine and Russia as a showman, film actor, screenwriter, producer, and former captain of the 95th quarter team in KVN.

An important role in the biography of Vladimir Zelensky was played by the 95th quarter studio. From 2010 to 2012, Vladimir was also a member of the board and general producer of the Ukrainian TV channel Inter.

On January 1, 2019, Volodymyr Zelensky announced his intention to participate in the presidential elections in Ukraine. It is curious that at first Vladimir Zelensky "tested" himself as a presidential candidate in the TV series Servant of the People, which received a good rating in Ukraine. Zelensky himself played in it a simple Ukrainian who, thanks to a Youtube video, became president and changed the life of the country for the better.

In the first round, Vladimir won a fairly confident victory, gaining more than 30% of the vote. Having productively spent the period between two rounds and won the debate, according to most experts, Zelensky won Poroshenko in the second round, gaining almost 3 times more votes.

On May 20, 2019, Zelensky took office as President of Ukraine and immediately announced the dissolution of the Rada.

Childhood and Education of Vladimir Zelensky

Vladimir Alexandrovich Zelensky was born on December 23, 1978, in the city of Kryvyi Rih, Dnepropetrovsk region.

Father - Alexander Semenovich Zelensky  - Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Informatics.

Mother - Rimma Vladimirovna Zelenskaya  - a housewife.

By nationality, Vladimir Zelensky is a Jew, which he himself repeatedly stated on the stage, in particular, while still playing in KVN.

My father worked in Mongolia for four years, so Vladimir Zelensky spent his childhood in the city of Erdenet. Returning to Kryvyi Rih, Vladimir began to study at gymnasium No. 95 with an in-depth study of the English language. As a teenager, Zelensky dreamed of becoming a diplomat, according to his biography on Wikipedia.

The boy grew up as an active, addicted child. Even in kindergarten, he came up with different games for his peers. During his school years, Vladimir Zelensky went in for sports (weightlifting, basketball, volleyball), loved music (he learned to play the piano, and guitar), participated in a theater group, and was engaged in ballroom dancing. In general, he was a multi-talented child. At school, Vladimir organized a team of graduates and played KVN with a team of teachers - the students won.

In the photo: Vladimir Zelensky in childhood

After school, Vladimir Zelensky entered the Kryvyi Rih Economic Institute of the Kyiv National Economic University, where he received higher education - a law degree. However, he did not have to work in his specialty.

The creative career of Vladimir Zelensky

Creativity completely captured the young man. First, he was invited to the KVN team - "Zaporizhzhia-Kryvyi Rih-Transit" as a director of dance numbers. But very soon Zelensky himself began to participate not only in dances but also in other performances of the team.

Then he and the guys created the 95th Quarter team, where Vladimir became the author of many numbers and the captain (1997). Two years later, the "95th quarter" was in the Major League of KVN. In parallel with the performances, they traveled with concerts, and visited almost all CIS countries. Vladimir Zelensky, in addition to working in a team, additionally wrote scripts for concerts and corporate parties. The team enjoyed success, it seemed that they were at the peak of their glory.

However, in 2003, a serious conflict situation arose between the team and Alexander Maslyakov 's AMiK company, as a result of which KVN left KVN. As in the case of other comedians, the financial issue quarreled with Krivorozhtsev with Maslyakov. Allegedly, Vladimir was offered to stay in KVN as an author and editor, but without a team. After that, he preferred to develop a career with the team, but not in KVN.

"95 Quarter" - political cabaret

At the end of 2003, the Ukrainian TV channel "1 + 1" offered the "95th quarter" to make a series of concerts consisting of the best numbers of the team, which played an important role in the biography of Zelensky and his project.

In the photo: Vladimir Zelensky during the concert program of the Kvartal 95 studio (Photo: Zuma / TASS)

On Ukrainian TV, the work of "Kvartal 95" instantly became in demand. Channel "1 + 1" invited the guys to perform with the most successful numbers. At the same time, the Kvartal 95 studio appeared. Vladimir became one of its owners.

In 2005, Zelensky and his colleagues created the Evening Quarter program, a political cabaret project that quickly became popular in the country. The politicization of Ukrainian society after the first Maidan also played its role, while criticism of the new orange government was in great demand - this was done at a good level by the show of Zelensky and other ex-Kvnschikov. President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, the next president Viktor Yanukovych, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and other well-known politicians were constantly parodied by the actors of the 95th quarter.

Vladimir Zelensky was the inspirer and spokesman for the ideas of Kvartal 95, but above all, he proved to be a successful manager who brought together talented authors and actors.

In 2006, at the International Media Competition, the team of the Kvartal 95 studio received the Golden Pen in the Best Entertainment Program of Television nomination. Then the "95 quarter" was the award "Cover of the Year" and the Prize of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting "Teletriumph" in the nomination "Entertainment Program of 2006".

In 2009, Cypriot Art Fox Studios Ltd became the main owner of the Studio Kvartal 95 asset, which, according to Wikipedia, was associated with the owner of Inter, the oligarch Valery Khoroshkovsky. During this period of his career on the Inter channel, Zelensky was for some time the general producer (2010-2012), promoting various television projects.

The Evening Quarter studio, headed by Zelensky, spawned the Ukraine, Get Up, and Fight Club programs. As a TV presenter, together with Ruslana Pysanka, Zelensky hosted the show "Office Romance", which was also broadcast by the Inter channel. In addition, Vladimir took part in the project "Dancing with the Stars - 1", in which, together with his partner Alena Shoptenko, he took first place.

In 2010, Zelensky launched the Make the Comedian Laugh program, in which he became the host along with Dmitry Shepelev. Then he led the show "Hot Chair".

In the photo: Vladimir Zelensky's performance at the concert of the Kvartal 95 studio (Photo: Zuma / TASS)

In October 2012, Inter stopped cooperation with Studio Kvartal 95, as was reported in the news, due to an increase in prices for Zelensky's studio products. As a result, Kvartal 95 switched to the 1 + 1 channel. 21 editions of Evening Quarter and Evening Kyiv were estimated by experts at $9 million a year. Evening Quarter was at that time considered the highest-rated show of the Inter TV channel, its average audience share was 65 percent (people over 18 years old, living throughout Ukraine).

In 2012, as part of the TV show "Kyiv Vecherny", aired on the channel "1 + 1", the political animated series "Fairytale Russia" was released, among the heroes of which were recognizable President Yanukovych, Prime Minister Azarov, oppositionists Yatsenyuk, Tymoshenko and others

Zelensky's career also progressed successfully in Russia. "Ukrainian Quarter" as a version of the show "95 Quarter" in 2010 came out on the channel "STS". Vladimir, together with Philip Kirkorov, were the hosts of the New Wave program.

Vladimir Zelensky's film career

Vladimir Zelensky also proved himself in the film business, in particular in the Russian market. Zelensky himself starred in the comedy Love in the City about three friends from New York. In addition to Vladimir, Alexei Chadov and Ville Haapasalo played in the film, as well as Vera Brezhneva, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Anastasia Zadorozhnaya, Olesya Zheleznyak. Philip Kirkorov also appeared in a small but important role in the film.

In the photo: actors Svetlana Khodchenkova as Nastya and Vladimir Zelensky as Igor in a frame from the film "Love in the City" directed by Marius Weisberg (Photo: TASS / Leopolis Film Company)

The audience liked Love in the City, so sequels followed. The collections of the first and second films amounted to more than 300 million rubles (in Russia and the CIS), and Love in the Big City 3, released in 2014, was able to collect more than 500 million.

In the photo: producer Lev Nikolaou, actors Alexei Chadov, Liza Arzamasova, Vladimir Zelensky, singer Vera Brezhneva and producer Georgy Malkov (from left to right) at a press screening of the film at the Atrium cinema, 2009 (Photo: Maxim Shemetov / TASS)

In the photo: actors Svetlana Khodchenkova (Nastya) and Vladimir Zelensky (Igor) on the set of the film "Love in the Big City-2" directed by Marius Weisberg, 2010 (Photo: TASS / Leopolis Film Company)

In 2011, a remake of Ryazan's "Office Romance" appeared on the screens. But this time, there was no success. The viewer involuntarily compared Novoseltsev- Myagkov and Novoseltsev-Zelensky, and the comparison was not in Vladimir's favor.

In the photo: actors Svetlana Khodchenkova (Lyudmila Kalugina) and Vladimir Zelensky (Anatoly Novoseltsev) in a scene from the film "Office Romance. Our Time" directed by Sarik Andreasyan, 2011 (Photo: TASS / NBC Universal Press Service)

Another comedy in which Vladimir Alexandrovich starred is Rzhevsky against Napoleon. In this picture, Zelensky played the role of Napoleon. Once again, critics and the public were disappointed. However, the fees in the movie, as reported, were quite good.

In the photo: actors Pavel Derevyanko (Lieutenant Rzhevsky / Countess Rzhevskaya), Mikhail Efremov (Leo Tolstoy), and Vladimir Zelensky (Napoleon) (from left to right) on the set of the film "Rzhevsky against Napoleon" directed by Marius Weisberg, 2012 (Photo: TASS / Film company "Central Partnership")

Despite the negative reviews, in 2012 Zelensky again starred in the romantic comedy 8 Best Dates, this time with Oksana Akinshina. The film was not successful at the box office.

In 2012, the film "I'll be There", produced by Zelensky, won the Russian film festival "Kinotavr".

After Euromaidan and Zelensky's transition to the ranks of fans of the Kyiv authorities, in particular, who supported the military operation against Donbas, it could not but affect his career in Russian show business. The continuation of the film "8 new dates" caused a scandal in Russia. Activists of the National Liberation Movement held a series of pickets in many cities of the country with posters “ Vladimir Zelensky  is a bloody buffoon” or “Zelensky is a sponsor of the murders of Donbas residents.” Many were offended that a Ukrainian actor with an anti-Russian position helping the ATO wanted to make money on films in Russia.

N photo: actor Vladimir Zelensky (Ostap), world champion in power all-around Vasily Virastyuk, actors Yuri Koryavchenkov (Batya), Sergei Kazanin, and Evgeny Koshevoy (Evgeny) (from left to right) during the filming of the New Year's musical "Cossacks", 2009 (Photo): Vladimir Sindeev/TASS)

Russophobia did not affect Zelensky’s desire to make money on films in Russia; in 2016, another Russian film in the series, “8 Best Dates,” was released. Instead of Akinshina, now Vera Brezhneva played with Zelensky. It was reported that the film with Zelensky and Brezhneva failed at the box office, however, according to Kinopoisk, he collected more than $ 2 million - a little more than his budget.

The series "Matchmakers" - from success to the ban of the SBU

A bright place in the biography of the studio "Kvartal 95" was taken by the series "Matchmakers", which received recognition not only in Ukraine but also in Russia. Since 2008, six seasons of the series "Matchmakers", the musical "New Year's Matchmakers", the TV show "Matchmakers at the Stove", the series "Tales of Mityai" and the animated series "Svatiki" have been filmed. "Matchmakers" of Zelensky's studio were shown on Russian channels "Russia-1", "Dom Kino", Ukrainian "Inter", "1 + 1" and "ICTV".

The success of the series "Matchmakers" was largely based on Russian actors, in particular, Fyodor Dobronravov and Tatyana Kravchenko. In 2015, Zelensky reported problems with filming due to disagreements, the producer himself and his studio Kvartal-95 are on the side of the Ukrainian government in the armed conflict in the Donbas, and Russian actors, a native of Donetsk Tatyana Kravchenko and Fyodor Dobronravov, think otherwise, to In addition, Dobronravov, Lyudmila Artemyeva, and Nikolai Dobrynin were deprived of the opportunity to visit Ukraine.

However, the desire to make money on the series won over the controversy, and in July 2017 the shooting of the 7th season started. But in the autumn of the same year, the series was banned from being shown on the territory of Ukraine - this was done by the Ukrainian authorities supported by Zelensky.

When it came to personal interests, Zelensky was not afraid to express his claims to the SBU. The Ukrainian actor and producer, due to the ban on the series "Matchmakers" in Ukraine, posted a video on the social network with the title "It's boiling!".

“The media are discussing such an important issue for our country – to ban the series “Matchmakers”. Without this, the economy does not grow at all,” Zelensky said in a video message. He added that "if someone does not like the word 'matchmakers', the word 'godfathers' is closer to you, you will first overcome your nepotism, and then you will fight with our 'matchmakers'."

“This is a Ukrainian series, invented by me and my colleagues. This series was filmed with our money, our people. Who you are? If you are a security service, then take care of safety so that walking the streets is not scary!” Zelensky

"1 + 1" filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine because of the ban on "Matchmakers" and in the summer of 2018, it was withdrawn. On June 21, 2018, the shooting of the series "Matchmakers 7" was resumed in Minsk. The final episodes of the season were going to be filmed in Georgia, and the premiere was scheduled for March 2019.

The career of President Zelensky - first in the "Servant of the People"

In the photo: a poster of the series

In 2015, the television series "Studios Kvartal 95" "Servant of the People" was released with Vladimir Zelensky in the title role (director Alexei Kiryushchenko). The series, under the meaningful subtitle "The Story of the Next President," told how history teacher Vasily Goloborodko swears a lot in front of his students, outraged by the problems surrounding the inhabitants of Ukraine. Then a student of his class shoots a monologue on a mobile phone and uploads it to the Internet, after which Zelensky's hero becomes so popular that he puts forward his candidacy for the presidential election and somehow magically wins. In the future, “President Zelensky” voices various banal populist initiatives, the series even includes shots in which he shoots deputies from a machine gun – realizing one of the main wishes of Ukrainian citizens of various views.

The Servant of the People series became the highest-rated TV series on Ukrainian television in 2015, it was watched by more than 20 million viewers, and 98 million people watched it on the YouTube channel of Kvartal 95.

Servant of the People was acquired by TV channels in Estonia and Kazakhstan. Then Studio Kvartal 95 sold the rights to show the series Servant of the People to Netflix, the world's largest Internet TV platform.

In the photo: Ukrainian presidential candidate, actor, and showman Volodymyr Zelensky on the set. Zelensky leads the presidential rating in Ukraine, as evidenced by public opinion polls. The second and third places are occupied by Petro Poroshenko and Yulia Tymoshenko (Photo: AP/TASS archive)

In October 2017, the second season of the series Servant of the People was released, where Zelensky continued to be president. In August 2018, filming began for the third season, which is scheduled for release in March 2019.

The series "Servant of the People" was criticized by Ukrainian nationalists for the Russian language of the characters, at the same time, President Zelensky is quite anti-Russian, approximately corresponding to the position and views of the actor himself at this stage of his biography.

The political career of Volodymyr Zelensky, 2019 presidential candidate

During the Euromaidan, Zelensky practically did not voice his position. And then, after a further break between Ukraine and Russia, Vladimir gradually began to make a political career. Zelensky actively supported official Kyiv in the civil war in Donbas, spoke out against the DPR and LPR, and against Moscow and Russia in general.

Participants of the "95th quarter" constantly spoke to the soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine, it is also known that they transferred funds to support the punitive "anti-terrorist" operation (ATO). Speech, according to Ukrainian publications, was about the amount of one million hryvnias (approximately), which went to buy personal hygiene products and medicines for soldiers.

“If Russian performers express anti-Ukrainian views, for me they simply cease to be stars,” Zelensky said in an interview. And before the start of the film "Eight Best Dates" in Russia, Vladimir Zelensky was reminded of this ambivalent position. After all, he criticizes our country, but he earns money in it.

In February 2015, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, at the request of the deputy of the Moscow municipal district of Yakimanka Dmitry Zakharov, began checking information about the financing of Zelensky, as well as other Ukrainian cultural figures, Ukrainian security officials.

At the beginning of 2018, a source in the Presidential Administration of Ukraine noticed that the musician and leader of the Okean Elzy group Svyatoslav Vakarchuk or actor Vladimir Zelensky could become Poroshenko’s competitors in the elections.

In September 2018, many were surprised by the news that Volodymyr Zelensky was in second place in the ranking of candidates for the presidency of Ukraine - 7.8% of the residents of the “square” support his candidacy. 6.8% of respondents are ready to vote for the current leader Petro Poroshenko. Further in the ranking were deputy Anatoly Gritsenko, head of the political force Opposition Bloc Yuriy Boyko, deputy Vadim Rabinovich, deputy Oleg Lyashko, musician and leader of the Okean Elzy group Svyatoslav Vakarchuk.

According to the survey, the main demand of the respondents to the future president of Ukraine is the cessation of hostilities in the East of Ukraine (66%).

Pictured: Ukrainian comedian and actor Volodymyr Zelensky (right) shakes hands with an employee of the Central Election Commission (CEC) as he submits documents for registration as a presidential candidate, Kyiv, January 25, 2019 (Photo: Zuma/TASS)

According to many analysts, Zelensky is promoted by the oligarch Igor Kolomoisky, on whose channel the showman's programs are broadcast. Kolomoisky has a big grudge against the current President Poroshenko.

“Kolomoisky is now busy with the main task: not passing Poroshenko to the second round. Therefore, he put on the main candidate for himself (of course, Tymoshenko) and the technical one (Zelensky). The rest doesn’t matter to him,” political scientist Vladimir Kornilov commented on Zelensky’s chances as a presidential candidate.

In the photo: life-size figures of Ukrainian presidential candidates Yulia Tymoshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky, installed by a group of activists on one of the streets of the city on the eve of the presidential elections, 2019 (Photo: Pavlo Gonchar / SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire / TASS)

Political scientist Dmitry Galkin noted that "Kolomoisky openly supports Zelensky, who helps to weaken the position of the incumbent president."

Russian actor Ivan Okhlobystin noted in an interview that the US authorities were disappointed in Poroshenko and would soon let him escape to some “warm country”. In addition, the artist expressed the hope that the Ukrainian showman Vladimir Zelensky would become the new president of the "square".

In the photo: Vladimir Zelensky's performance at the concert of the Kvartal 95 studio (Photo: AP / TASS)

On January 1, Volodymyr Zelensky announced his intention to participate in the presidential elections in Ukraine, which are scheduled for the end of March 2019. On New Year's Eve, on the air of the Ukrainian TV channel "1 + 1", the showman spoke about his intention to participate in the presidential elections.

In the photo: people walk past a poster with the inscription "Servant of the people - president!" in Kyiv, Ukraine, January 31, 2019. Servant of the People is a television series starring Ukrainian actor and presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky. The series tells the story of Vasily Goloborodko (actor Volodymyr Zelensky), a 30-year-old high school history teacher who wins the Ukrainian presidential election after a viral video opposing government corruption in Ukraine (Photo: Zuma/TASS)

In January, a scandal broke out in Ukraine when it was revealed that the Cypriot company Green Family LTD, which is a co-founder of the Kvartal 95 studio, owns three companies in Russia. Zelensky reacted heavily to publications in the media, in a video message he said that his company works only in Ukraine.

“We don't work in Russia after what she did to Ukraine. We don’t go there, we don’t perform there, a criminal case has even been opened against me there because I and the Kvartal 95 company helped our army with finances, ”he stressed.

However, this apparently turned out to be a joke, since Zelensky then promised that he would come out of the owners of a Cypriot company that owns a business in Russia.

“The solution I have is the following, very simple and which removes everything. I realized that I can get out not from this company, which is there (in Russia. - Note), but from the Cypriot company, which is the owner of those companies. And that's it. Here we found this solution today, and I will come out soon, ” Zelensky was quoted as saying.

Presidential elections in Ukraine, results

Already on the afternoon of March 31, the news appeared on the data of the first exit polls of the presidential elections in Ukraine. Journalist Mustafa Nayem cited the results of five polls at once. Since, according to Ukrainian law, it is forbidden to publish the results of exit polls before the end of the voting, the authors place them under the guise of “marketing research on the alcohol preferences of Ukrainians”, and the candidates in them are encrypted under the guise of brands of alcoholic beverages.

Vladimir Zelensky corresponds to ZeBrovka, Petro Poroshenko - chocolate liqueur, Yulia Tymoshenko - Widow Clicquot, and Yuriy Boyko - Moscow vodka Boykaya.

According to the results of these polls, the first round was won by Zelensky, for whom 26.8% to 28.8% of the voters cast their votes. Four out of five polls showed that Zelensky's opponent in the second round will be the incumbent President Poroshenko with a score of 17.43% to 20.5%.

Later, the results of the national exit poll in the presidential elections in Ukraine became known. According to the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, and the Oleksandr Razumkov Ukrainian Center for Economic and Political Studies, Vladimir Zelensky and Petro Poroshenko are entering the second round.

Vladimir Zelensky received 30.4% of the vote, Petro Poroshenko - 17.8%, Yulia Tymoshenko - 14.2%, and Yuriy Boyko - 9.8%.

In the photo: presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky during the announcement of the preliminary results of the first round of voting in the presidential elections in Ukraine, March 31, 2019 (Photo: Anna Marchenko / TASS)

On April 2, the Central Election Commission of Ukraine confirmed the exit of the showman and head of the Servant of the People party Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as the current president of the country, Petro Poroshenko, to the second round of elections. After processing 99% of the protocols, Zelensky won 30.22% of the vote, and Poroshenko - 15.93%. Yulia Tymoshenko came third with a score of 13.4%.

In the second round, Petro Poroshenko could not oppose anything to Vladimir Zelensky. According to most experts, he lost the debate to his opponent, and in the elections on April 21, he won almost 3 times fewer votes.

According to the national exit poll in the second round of the presidential elections, which was held by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, and the Oleksandr Razumkov Ukrainian Center for Economic and Political Research, 73.2% of voters cast their votes for Volodymyr Zelensky, and for Petro Poroshenko voted 25.3%. 1.05% struck out both of them or ruined the ballot.

As the head of the CEC, Tatiana Slipachuk, officially announced, the candidate from the Servant of the People party Zelensky won 73.22% of the vote in the second round, his rival Petro Poroshenko - only 24.45%.

Zelensky as President of Ukraine

On the morning of May 20, at a solemn meeting of the Verkhovna Rada, Volodymyr Zelensky took office as President of Ukraine. Zelensky was handed the official symbols of the power of the President of Ukraine: a mace, an official seal, and a badge in the form of an order chain.

One of his first decisions, Zelensky dissolved the Verkhovna Rada. He gave parliament two months before dissolution, asking it to pass a series of urgent laws during that time. In particular, to approve documents on the abolition of parliamentary immunity, on criminal liability for illicit enrichment, and adopt an electoral code.

The President also asked the deputies to dismiss the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General, and the Minister of Defense, and suggested that the government of Ukraine resign.

“Our first task is to ceasefire in Donbas,” Zelensky said in his address to the Ukrainian people from the rostrum of the Verkhovna Rada.

According to him, he is ready to do everything "so that our heroes do not die anymore." “I’m definitely not afraid to make difficult decisions. I am ready to lose my popularity, my ratings, and if necessary, I am ready to lose my position without hesitation, so that peace will come,” the head of state said.

In the evening, he signed his first decree, by which he assumed the powers of the supreme commander. At the same time, as SP reported, after the inauguration, Zelensky received representatives of the Administration and the US Congress and called on them to tighten sanctions against Russia.

On May 21, Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree dissolving the Verkhovna Rada. “To terminate ahead of schedule the powers of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the eighth convocation. Schedule early elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for July 21, 2019," Zelensky's decree was quoted by the news.

Relations with Russia under Zelensky, negotiations with Putin

After his landslide victory in the first round of presidential elections in Ukraine, Zelensky said that at the meeting he would thank President Vladimir Putin for the return of Crimea and would ask how much money Russia is still ready to compensate Kyiv for the selected territories.

Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, in a conversation with reporters, commented on the statements of presidential candidate Vladimir Zelensky about Russia's involvement in what is happening in the Donbas. Peskov also stressed that the Kremlin does not intend to discuss the topic of Crimea with anyone, the question of the ownership of the peninsula is closed once and for all.

In the photo: presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky at the campaign headquarters after the first round of voting in the presidential elections in Ukraine, March 31, 2019 (Photo: Petr Sivkov / TASS)

The comedian's adviser, ex-Finance Minister Alexander Danilyuk said that Zelensky is ready to negotiate with the leaders of Russia and the United States Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.

After Zelensky's victory, oligarch Igor Kolomoisky began to appear constantly in the news of Ukraine, commenting on the future of the new president and stating that he was ready to help him.

However, Ruslan Bortnyk, director of the Ukrainian Institute for Policy Analysis and Management, is sure that the influence of the oligarch Igor Kolomoisky on the new president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, will not be too strong.

On September 7, 2019, an exchange of former prisoners between Russia and Ukraine took place. The exchange took place according to the formula "35 for 35" - i.e. 35 people participated in it from each side. Among those who returned to Russia was the editor-in-chief of RIA Novosti Ukraine Kirill Vyshinsky, the former DPR militiaman Vladimir Tsemakh, whom the Ukrainian media position as the main witness in the case of the Malaysian Boeing MH17, as well as Russian Yevgeny Mefedov, who conducted the far-fetched accusation for five years in the Odesa pre-trial detention center.

The Russian Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova called it a new page in relations in the humanitarian and legal sphere between the countries.

On September 7, Putin and Zelensky spoke by phone, the conversation took place at the initiative of Kyiv.

"First of all, the humanitarian aspect of this action, which is of great importance for the normalization and improvement of bilateral relations, was emphasized," the Kremlin's press service said in a statement. The presidents also agreed on further contacts.

On the evening of December 9, 2019, a meeting of the leaders of the Normandy Four was held in Paris at the Elysee Palace, dedicated to resolving the situation in eastern Ukraine. Press Secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov said that before the start of negotiations in the "Norman format" in Paris, the presidents shook hands.

After that, negotiations were held between the leaders of the two countries on the sidelines of the Normandy Summit, they lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes. The news reported that Vladimir Putin, passing by journalists, said that he was satisfied with the negotiations with Vladimir Zelensky.

Also "SP" reported that Zelensky considered the negotiations with the Russian president in Paris ended in a draw.

“He breaks it down into details on every issue. Every word we settled. It's complicated. I am a different person: one-time - and agreed. He has a different natural biomechanics,” Zelensky shared his impressions.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, an exchange of detainees could take place between the Russian Federation and the "square" according to the "all for all" formula, he also said that the inhabitants of his country can speak any language and invited journalists from Russia to personally visit Ukraine. At the same time, he noted that his country would never go for federalization.

Scandal after Conversation with Trump

A big scandal in the United States in the fall of 2019 was caused by the news after a conversation between the American leader and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Trump allegedly demanded an investigation against Hunter Biden, the son of US presidential candidate Joe Biden.

After that, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Democrat Nancy Pelosi said that Congress was starting impeachment proceedings against Trump because of his

Trump himself called the words of Vladimir Zelensky the best evidence that the head of the White House did not put pressure on him in his own interests.

“The President of Ukraine said that I did NOT put pressure on him to do something wrong. There can be no better proof than this!” he tweeted.

At the same time, Trump added that former US Vice President Joe Biden, through his son, pressured the Ukrainian president to earn millions of dollars.

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin commented on the story of the impeachment of the US President on social networks.

“Whatever happens next, in the history of the United States, Ukraine will remain as a country that led to the beginning of the impeachment proceedings against the US president. Not a very cheerful prospect. But now everyone understands what we are capable of,” he wrote.

Former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton accused US President Donald Trump of betrayal. On her Twitter page, she stated that Trump betrayed his country.

“This is not a political statement, this is a harsh reality, and we must act,” Clinton said.

Russian special operation in Ukraine

In February 2022, Russia launched a special operation in Ukraine. On February 25, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky approached his Russian counterpart with a proposal for negotiations to stop the loss of life.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced on March 1, 2022, that all major cities of Ukraine were blocked.

Later, Vladimir Zelensky, in an interview with the American ABC television channel, announced Kyiv's readiness to discuss the future of Crimea and the people's republics of Donbas.

After the start of the special operation, the media news often raises the question of where Zelensky is now.

The speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin reported on Zelensky's flight from Ukraine. According to him, Zelensky is now in Poland. The President of Ukraine himself, in response, stated that he was still on the territory of "square".

On March 11, Verkhovna Rada deputy Ilya Kiva said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had fled Kyiv and had been abroad for a long time.

Personal life of Vladimir Zelensky

Vladimir Zelensky married a girl with whom he studied in parallel classes. Elena Zelenskaya is one of the authors of the KVN team, and then of the 95th quarter studio, although she is also a lawyer by education, like Zelensky.

In the photo: candidate for the post of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Kiyashko at the campaign headquarters after the first round of voting in the presidential elections in Ukraine, March 31, 2019 (Photo: Petr Sivkov / TASS)

The Zelensky family has two children - daughter Sasha and son Kirill. Vladimir said in an interview that he considers the courageous act of any man to be responsible for his family.

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• ARTICLES ABOUT VLADIMIR ZELENSKY

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