From a comedian turned wartime leader, Volodymyr Zelensky has become a beacon of resilience

Volodymyr Zelensky once played a president in the political satire ‘Servant of the People’.

Since then, Mr Zelensky has become an unlikely hero, as he steers his nation through war.

When Russian troops stormed into Ukrainian territory on 24 February, Mr Zelensky said he was “enemy number one”.

After the U.S. offered an evacuation mission for the leader, the 44-year-old said he “I need ammunition, not a ride.”

It signalled a shift from traditional wartime leaders and a new dawn of heroes. Mr Zelensky risked his own safety as he donned the camouflage attire and toured parts of his war-torn country.

In December, he was named TIME’s ‘Person of the Year’ for 2022.

Editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal said the decision was the most “clear-cut in memory”.

“Whether the battle for Ukraine fills one with hope or with fear, Volodymyr Zelenskyy galvanised the world in a way we haven’t seen in decades,” he said.

The title meant Zelensky joined previous winners including Greta Thunberg, Mark Zuckerberg and Barack Obama.

“For proving that courage can be as contagious as fear, for stirring people and nations to come together in defence of freedom, for reminding the world of the fragility of democracy—and of peace—Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the spirit of Ukraine are Time’s 2022 Person of the Year,” Mr Felsenthal said.

Mr Zelensky has addressed allies around the world. From U.S. Congress, to Australian Parliament, he has pushed for more weaponry and assistance for his nation.

“Russia has attacked not just us, not just our land, not just our cities; it went on a brutal offensive against our values, basic human values,” he told a joint sitting of U.S. Congress in March.

“It threw tanks and planes against our freedom, against our right to live freely in our own country choosing our own future,” he explained.