Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Photo: Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty
Despite the horrors and bloodshed of war, Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyysays his sense of humor remains intact. More than that, “It’s a means of survival,” he tellsTimein a sprawling new profile, conducted from the compound where he’s been in hiding.
Zelenskyy knows humor well. At age 44, he became an overnight wartime hero to many, as Russia invaded Ukraine.
His selfie videos from the capital,vowing to continue the fight, quickly went viral. As did his rebuff of a U.S. offer to evacuate him from danger, when he declared, “I need ammunition, not a ride.”
Speaking toTime, Zelenskyy — who hastwo children, 17-year-old Oleksandra and 9-year-old Kyrylo, with Ukrainian First LadyOlena Zelenska— acknowledged that he has become a “symbol,” adding that the attention is why he has been so steadfast about remaining in the country.
“You understand that they’re watching,” he tells the outlet. “You’re a symbol. You need to act the way the head of state must act.”
But many of his actions amid the war have been more than merely symbolic, such as when he secretly ventured out of his compound in early March, when the Russians were still shelling Kyiv and trying to encircle the capital.
“We made the decision to go on the fly,” says Yermak, his chief of staff tellsTimeof the impromptu trip, which Zelenskyy made in secret with two friends and a group of bodyguards (who Zelenskyy notes were “losing their minds”).
Days after that, the group took another trip, this time to a checkpoint near the edge of the ctity to meet a man who made borscht for the troops each day.Timereports that, “within range of enemy snipers and artillery,” Zelenskyy and his group had soup and bread with the man, recounting the history of the Soviet Union and what Russia had since become.
Still, the Ukrainian leader worries that those outside the country will eventually tire of the war.
“People see this war on Instagram, on social media,” he tellsTime. “When they get sick of it, they will scroll away.”
For Zelenskyy, it is never-ending. In early April, he made headlines when he traveled to the besieged city ofBucha, where Russians were recently accused of killing some 300 civilians (and, in some cases, torturing civilians) during their occupation.
Speaking toTimeabout the travesty in Bucha, Zelenskyy recalled one particular image taken there that haunted him, of a woman who had been beheaded in an explosion. “She was wearing these bright, memorable clothes,” Zelenskyy says.
Russia’sattack on Ukrainecontinues after their forces launched their large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.
With NATO forces amassed in the region, various countries are offering aid or military support to the resistance. Zelenskyy has called for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.
Russian President Vladimir Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy vowed not to bend.
“Nobody is going to break us, we’re strong, we’re Ukrainians,“he told the European Unionin a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, “Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness.”
source: people.com
