Thinking Citizen Blog —Inspiring Young Leaders of the World (Part II): Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Ukraine’s Churchill
Thinking Citizen Blog — Sunday is Political Process, Campaign Strategy, and Candidate Selection Day
Today’s Topic: Inspiring Young Leaders of the World (Part II): Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Ukraine’s Churchill
“I need ammunition, not a ride.” His words will echo across time. Last month, four days before the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, I inaugurated a series on “Inspiring Young Leaders of the World.” The first post was on Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand. Today, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, perhaps the most improbable head of government on the planet — a standup comedian without prior experience in politics and a Jew in a country whose Jewish population was largely exterminated by the Nazis during World War Two. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
FAMILY BACKGROUND, EARLY LIFE, WIFE, CHILDREN
1. “His father, Olksandr Zelenskyy is a professor and computer scientist, and the head of the Department of Cybernetics and Computing Hardware at the Kryvvi Rih State University of Economics and Technology; his mother, Rymma Zelenska, used to work as an engineer.”
2. His grandfather, Semyon, was a colonel in the Red Army during World War II. “Semyon’s father and three brothers were murdered in the Holocaust.”
3. Vlodymyr’s first language was Russian and he spent the first few years of his life in Mongolia, where his father worked. He received a law degree from the Kryvyi Institute of Economics but never practiced law. Instead he became a stand-up comedian.
NB: Vlodymyrr is married to screenwriter Olena Zelenska (1978 — ) and they have two children; a daughter, Oleksandra (2004 — ), and Kyrylo (2013 — ). Photo of Olena below.
THE 2019 ELECTION — wins with 73% of the vote versus the incumbent’s 25% (Poroshenko)
1. “Zelenskyy’s presidential campaign against Poroshenko was almost entirely virtual.”
2. “He did not release a detailed policy platform and his engagement with mainstream media was minimal; he instead reached out to the electorate via social media channels and YouTubre clips.”
3. “In place of traditional campaign rallies, he conducted stand-up comedy routines across Ukraine with his production company Kvartal 95. He styled himself as an anti-establishment and anti-corruption figure.”
NB: Zelenskyy is the first Jewish head of state outside of Israel anywhere in the world.
THE WAR WITH RUSSIA — Roots go back to 2014, full scale invasion started February 24, 2022
1. In February-March 2014, Russian troops invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula from the Ukraine.
2. March 2014 — war in the Donbas begins with separatists backed by Russia battling Ukrainian government forces. Estimated deaths: Ukrainian 4,641, Russian 5,772. Internally displaced: 414,798. Fled abroad: 925,500.
3. February, 14 2022: “largest military attack in Europe since World War II.” The stated goal of Putin’s assault was to “demilitarize and denazify” the Ukraine. 2.6 million Ukrainians have fled the country. NB: There are four principal military offensives: the Kyiv, the Northeastern, the Eastern, and the Southern.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy — Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volodymyr_Groysman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine
ATTACHMENTS BELOW:
Two special attachments below:
#1 A graphic guide to justice (9 metaphors on one page).
#2 “39 Songs, Prayers, and Poems: the Keys to the Hearts of Seven Billion People” — Adams House Senior Common Room Presentation, 11/17/20
THE LAST FOUR YEARS OF POSTS ORGANIZED THEMATICALLY ARE AVAILABLE HERE:
PDF with headlines — Google Drive
YOUR TURN
Please share the coolest thing you learned in the last week related to political process or campaign strategy or 2020 candidate selection or anything else for that matter.
This is your chance to make some one else’s day or change their thinking. Or to consolidate in your own memory something worth remembering that might otherwise be lost. Or to clarify or deepen your own understanding of something dear to your heart. Continuity is key to depth of thought.
