Perhaps it never crossed the mind of Volodymyr Zelenskiy (41) when he won the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election, that he would one day face a tough figure like Vladimir Putin in a war on European soil. Now, it has become a reality.
Currently, Zelenskiy is in the spotlight in the world, as his country is facing an invasion from one of the greatest military powers in the world: Russia. Although his throne is being targeted by Russian troops, he admits that he will not leave the capital.
"The enemy has marked me as target number one," Zelenskiy warned in a video message.
"My family is target number two. They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state. I will live in the capital. My family is also in Ukraine," he said.
Zelenskiy used to be a comedian or comedian with no political experience. He received the most votes in the first round of the Ukrainian presidential election.
According to polls from the Kiev International Institute of Sociology and public opinion organization Razumkov, the comedian was ahead of 39 other candidates with 30.4 percent of the vote.
Zelenskiy, as in his role as a comedian, made corruption the focus of his candidacy. He proposed a life ban from holding public office for anyone convicted of corruption.
He also called for direct negotiations with Russia to end fighting in eastern Ukraine.
"A new life, a normal life begins," Zelenskiy said after he voted in Kiev. "A life without corruption, without bribes," he said again. The vote in Ukraine was overshadowed by allegations of widespread vote-buying.
Police said they had received more than 1,600 complaints of misconduct on polling day in addition to hundreds of previous voting fraud claims, including attempted bribery and removing ballots from polling stations.
Now, the world is waiting, will Zelenskiy be able to bring his country safe from the brunt of Russian troops or will he be evicted from his position? On Thursday, Zelenskiy had severed Ukraine's diplomatic ties with Russia, following the invasion of Moscow troops.
