Volodymyr Zelenskyy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Володимир Зеленський
Zelenskyy in 2022
6th President of Ukraine
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 May 2019
Prime Minister	Volodymyr Groysman Oleksiy Honcharuk Denys Shmyhal
Preceded by	Petro Poroshenko
Personal details
Born	(1978-01-25) 25 January 1978 (age 47) Krivoy Rog, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Political party	Independent
Other political affiliations	Servant of the People (2018–present)
Spouse	Olena Kyiashko ​ (m. 2003)​
Children	2
Parents	Oleksandr Zelenskyy (father) Rymma Zelenska (mother)
Residence	Mariinskyi Palace
Education	Kryvyi Rih Institute of Economics (LLB)
Signature

Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is the current president of Ukraine. Before becoming president, he was a famous comedian and actor. He is also known as Zelensky or Zelenskiy.

Early Life and Education

Zelenskyy in Prague in 2009

Volodymyr Zelenskyy was born into a Ukrainian Jewish family. He grew up speaking Russian in Kryvyi Rih, a large city in central Ukraine.

His father, Oleksandr Zelenskyy, is a professor and computer scientist. His mother, Rymma Zelenska, worked as an engineer. Zelenskyy's grandfather, Semyon Ivanovych Zelenskyy, was a colonel in the Red Army during World War II.

Before starting school, Zelenskyy lived in Mongolia for four years because of his father's work. When he was 16, he had the chance to study in Israel, but his father did not let him go. He later studied law at the Kryvyi Rih Institute of Economics.

From Comedy Star to President

Kvartal 95 performing in 2018

Zelenskyy started his career in comedy. He created a company called Kvartal 95. This company made movies, cartoons, and TV shows.

He starred in several movies, including Love in the Big City and 8 First Dates. He also voiced Paddington Bear in the Ukrainian versions of the Paddington movies.

One of his most famous roles was in the TV show Servant of the People. In this show, he played a teacher who accidentally becomes the President of Ukraine. The show was very popular from 2015 to 2019.

Leading Ukraine

Official presidential portrait, 2019

Zelenskyy with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, June 2019

Zelenskyy meets with U.S. president Donald Trump in New York City, September 2019

Zelenskyy and Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko in Zhytomyr, October 2019

Zelenskyy leaving 10 Downing Street after meeting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, October 2020

Volodymyr Zelenskyy became President of Ukraine on 20 May 2019. He was the first Jewish president of Ukraine.

As president, Zelenskyy has supported using technology in government, known as e-government. He also works to unite the Ukrainian- and Russian-speaking people in the country. He often uses social media, especially Instagram, to talk to people.

His government has worked on reducing corruption in Ukraine. They also managed Ukraine's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, tensions grew between Ukraine and Russia. On 24 February 2022, Russia began a "special military operation" in Ukraine. Zelenskyy declared martial law and called for people to join the armed forces. His strong leadership during this time has been praised around the world. Many see him as a symbol of Ukraine's strength.

International Connections

Zelenskyy's first official trip as president was to Brussels in June 2019. There, he met with leaders from the European Union and NATO.

In September 2019, there were reports about a phone call between Zelenskyy and U.S. president Donald Trump. It was said that Trump had held back military aid to Ukraine. This was to encourage an investigation involving Joe Biden and his son. This event led to a political discussion in the U.S. called the Trump–Ukraine scandal. Zelenskyy said he was not pressured by Trump.

In September 2021, Zelenskyy visited the United States. He met with U.S. president Joe Biden and other important officials. He also met with the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, and spoke at Stanford University.

Personal Life

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Olena Zelenska in the 2019 parliamentary election

In September 2003, Zelenskyy married Olena Kiyashko. They went to school and university together. Olena worked as a scriptwriter for Kvartal 95.

They have two children. Their daughter, Oleksandra, was born in July 2004. Their son, Kyrylo, was born in January 2013. In Zelenskyy's 2014 movie 8 New Dates, their daughter played the role of the main character's daughter. The family lives in Kyiv.

Zelenskyy's first language is Russian. He also speaks Ukrainian and English very well.

Awards and Recognition

In 2022, both the British newspaper Financial Times and the US magazine Time chose Zelenskyy as their Person of the Year.

He has received many awards and honors from different countries:

•  Ukraine: Honorary Diploma of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (2003)
•  Czech Republic: Member 1st Class of the Order of the White Lion (2022)
•  Estonia: Order of the Tallinn Coat of Arms [et] (2022)
•  Finland: Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland with Collar (2025)
•  France: Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honour (2023)
•  Germany: Charlemagne Prize (2023)
•  Latvia: Member 1st Class of the Order of Viesturs (2022)
•  Lithuania: Order of Vytautas the Great with the Golden Chain (2022)
•  Poland:
  • Jan Karski Eagle Award (2022)
  • Knight of the Order of the White Eagle (2023)
•  Portugal: Grand Collar of the Order of Liberty (2023)
•  Slovakia:
  • State Award of Alexander Dubček (2022)
  • Member 1st Class of the Order of the White Double Cross (2024)
•  Russia: Boris Nemtsov Prize (2022)
•  United Kingdom: Sir Winston Churchill Leadership Award (2022)
•  United States:
  • Ronald Reagan Freedom Award (2022)
  • John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award (2022)
  • Philadelphia Liberty Medal (2022)
  • Ripple of Hope Award (2022)
  • Golden Plate Award (2024)

A new, extinct species of feather star was named Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi after him in 2022. This was done to honor his "courage and bravery in defending free Ukraine."

Films and TV Shows

Films

Television shows and appearances

Images for kids

• 

  Zelenskyy and Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliyev, 17 December 2019

• 

  Zelenskyy with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 24 January 2020

• 

  Zelenskyy and U.S. president Joe Biden, 1 September 2021

• 

  Zelenskyy and Russian President Putin met in Paris on 9 December 2019 in the "Normandy Format" aimed at ending the War in Donbas.

• 

  Zelenskyy, Ukraine's defense minister Andriy Taran and U.S. secretary of defense Lloyd Austin on 31 August 2021

• 

  Zelenskyy and U.S. president Joe Biden on 1 September 2021

• 

  Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pay tribute to fallen Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv on 17 June 2022

• 

  The film premiere of I, You, He, She

See also

In Spanish: Volodímir Zelenski para niños