Although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been receiving praise for his handling of the Russian invasion, many didn't know he previously received accolades as a dancer and comedian.
Indy 100 shared resurfaced clips from different aspects of Zelenskyy's performing career–revealing a different side of the Ukrainian president prior to his landslide victory after running against the incumbent Petro Poroshenko in 2019.
A younger Zelenskyy can be seen as a contestant on Ukraine's version of Strictly Come Dancing: Dancing with the Stars and cutting a rug to songs like Elvis Presley’s "Blue Suede Shoes" and the "Pink Panther theme song."
Based on the following clip of him effortlessly dancing the quickstep, pasodoble and waltzing across the ballroom floor, it's not surprising that he apparently won the show's first series.
In 2014, Zelenskyy also lent his voice to Paddington Bear in the Ukraine-dubbed version of the family film, Paddington and Paddington 2 in 2017.
From 2015 to 2019, Zelenskyy played a role foreshadowing his future as president in the TV show, Servant of the People.
The popular sitcom was a satire of Ukrainian politics, which was produced by his production company, Kvartal 95.
At 17, Zelenskyy joined the local comedy team, KVN, and was later invited to join the united Ukrainian team "Zaporizhia-Kryvyi Rih-Transit," which performed in the KVN's Major League and eventually won in 1997.
His comedic skills remained sharp later in his career, having engaged in many hysterical antics–including one in which he played the piano with...not his hands.
That's not all.
Here's a leather-clad Zelenskyy performing this wild romp inspired by Beyoncé's iconic "Single Ladies" music video.
People were impressed by the Ukrainian president's previous career.
The Ukrainian president has shown his defiance against Russian forces by staying in his country and taking up arms with his soldiers.
He has been regularly updating his people on the crisis on the street and praising his people for their bravery.
Zelenskyy—who has politically positioned himself as an anti-establishment, anti-corruption figure—gained admirers for his strong leadership, courage and impassioned speeches since Russian military forces invaded Ukraine from three sides and launched a broad attack on civilians.
On Tuesday morning, a missile struck the heart of Kharkiv—Ukraine’s second-largest city—leaving at least 20 injured including a child.
“Nobody is going to break us,” said Zelenskyy in an address to the European Parliament during which he said civilians are fighting for their survival.
“We are strong, we are Ukrainians. We have a desire to see our children alive. I think it’s a fair one. Yesterday, 16 children were killed.”
Diplomats of the English Parliament rose to their feet after his speech and also left an emotional interpreter in tears.
The address came a day after he asked for “immediate accession of Ukraine via a new special procedure" adding that his country's goal was to be together with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be on an equal footing."
"I’m sure it’s fair. I’m sure it’s possible," he said.
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