Serhii Rudenko is a Ukrainian journalist and political commentator who has published several books on Ukrainian politicians.

"War is a rupture—in a country's life and a leader's. Amid the calamity, Ukrainians have proven lucky in theirs. As Mr Rudenko writes at the close, the man who was 'visibly nervous' in his early bouts of diplomacy, the ingénue and clown, now has an experience of statecraft that no modern Western leader can match, nor would wish to."The Economist"From voice of Paddington to global giant... the man behind the wartime façade"The Observer"The first English-language biography of Zelensky reveals what Ukrainians really think of him"The Telegraph"Serhii Rudenko's biography is a portrait of a wartime hero whose troubled past may return to haunt him... [It is] an extraordinary life story, which is still being written. Reading this biography now, in the wake of a war that upended our understanding of both Zelensky and Ukraine, presents his personal history in a new light."Lyse Doucet, The New Statesman"Fascinating"The Guardian"A fast-paced biography of an unexpected world leader... the author capably shows how Zelensky has displayed an astonishing transformation in the face of continued Russian aggression."Kirkus"Rudenko has written a succinct political biography that plunges readers right into the middle of the Ukrainian political scene"Prospect Magazine"... important and detailed...: Zelensky is easily the equal of the most impressive wartime leaders the West has ever had."Owen Matthews, The Spectator

• Abbreviations vii Preface: Zelensky's Political Oscar xi1 Ten Assassination Attempts on President Zelensky 12 The Campaign for President 43 "Let It Be the Stadium Then!" 94 Zelensky and Forty-Two Million Presidents 135 Devirtualization of Servant of the People 176 A Mad Printer for the President 217 Trump's Impeachment 258 Vice-President Bohdan 299 The Cosmic Year of 1978 3710 The Irreplaceable Yuliya Mendel 4211 Look into the Eyes of Putin and … 4612 The Amateur on an Electric Scooter 5413 A Little Bell for Maslyakov 5814 Godfather Rodnyansky 6615 A Scandal in Jurmala 7016 The Family of Kvartal 95 7417 The Kadyrov Ordeal 7918 Ebony Rods 8319 Zelensky's Double 8720 Zelensky's Ceremonial General 9421 Zelensky's Shenr Brothers 9922 Kolomoisky's Knife 10423 Poroshenko on His Knees 11224 The Zelensky Collective 12425 Zelensky's Idol Syvokho 12926 The Polygraph for "Servants of the People" 13327 Who Turned Zelensky into an Addict? 13728 Zelensky under Yermak 14229 Zelensky's Dream Team 15230 Zelensky's Architect 15931 The Magic Number 95 16632 He Who Burdened Zelensky with the Presidency 17033 A Gagarin for Zelensky 17534 A Black Mirror for a Hero 17835 Zvirobiy, Fedyna, and a Victim 18236 Wagnergate: A Story with Many Unknowns 18637 How the Oligarch Akhmetov Prepared a Coup for Zelensky 19038 The Bucha Massacre 193Epilogue: The President of War 200Chronology 203