TOP 10: What Zelenskyy was remembered for in his first 5 years as president
20 May 2024 19:19
Today marks the 5th anniversary of the inauguration of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. If not for the war, Ukraine would have held presidential elections on 31 March. Instead, it seems that Zelenskyy’s term is being dragged out until the war is over, i.e. indefinitely. However, after 5 years, it is definitely possible to sum up certain results of Zelenskyy’s tenure as president.
The editorial team of Kommersant Ukrainian 
has compiled its own internal rating of the top 10 impressions, phenomena and events that we remember Volodymyr Zelenskyy for.
Election programme as a people’s dream
Zelenskyy ‘s election programme sounded like a dream. About children who will not leave the country; about a grandmother who will receive a decent pension, not a heart attack from a utility bill. It was probably the most enjoyable programme of all time in the category of “honey for the ears”: such simple language and such “gentle” language.
A failed speech about barbecues
on 19 January 2022, Volodymyr Zelenskyy published the infamous video message “about barbecue”, giving Ukrainians hope for a peaceful sky, knowing that war was inevitable.
“I’m telling you. on 22 January, we will celebrate the Day of Unity of Ukraine… In April, we will celebrate Easter. In May, as always: sun, weekends, barbecue, Victory Day. And then summer, and we will pass the external independent evaluation, enter universities, plan holidays, dig gardens, get married, celebrate weddings…”
– the president said at the time.
Zelenskyy on the cover of Time
Four times, Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared on the cover of the authoritative Time magazine, was a guest on the author’s programme of the famous American journalist David Letterman, and in general became one of the most famous and popular people on the planet for a long time. No previous president of Ukraine has ever had a name-brand. Zelenskyy does.
Military style
Zelenskyy’s military-style clothing, which he has been wearing since the beginning of the full-scale war, has become fashionable in Ukraine and has set a trend for the departure, or at least a certain softening, of the traditional diplomatic style in the world. To this day, Ukrainian top officials allow themselves to dress rather “informally”.
Zelenskyy is the first president to revoke citizenship
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the first president to deprive people of Ukrainian citizenship “without trial or investigation”, by his own willful decision. The persons deprived of Ukrainian citizenship include, among others: Viktor Medvedchuk, Renat Kuzmin, Andriy Derkach, Taras Kozak, Dmytro Tabachnyk, Vitaliy Zakharchenko, Andriy Klyuyev, Oleksandr Klymenko, Valeriy Kolomoisky and even the UOC-MP.
NSDC sanctions
Zelenskyy is the first Ukrainian president to actively use the National Security and Defence Council sanctions. Although there are many questions about this process, it is clear that such measures are effective and efficient in the current environment.
Zelenskyy is a follower of Lee Kuan Yew
Before coming to power, almost all Ukrainian politicians tell the famous anecdote about Singapore’s dictator Lee Kuan Yew, who bequeathed to imprison his friends. And no one in Ukraine has ever done that… until Zelenskyy. Everyone knows what an important role ex-oligarch Valeriy Kolomoisky played in Zelenskyy’s becoming president. Where is Kolomoisky today? That’s right, in a pre-trial detention centre.
A portrait of courage
Volodymyr and Olena Zelenskyy became the first presidential couple in Ukraine to be featured in American Vogue, and under the lens of world-renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz.
Zelenskyy is the longest-serving president
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the president of Ukraine who will spend the most time in office in a single term. No previous president of Ukraine has ever served for more than a single term.
Zelenskyy is the president with the highest rating after 5 years
According to the latest data from the Rating Group and the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Zelenskyy is trusted by 63-64% of citizens. This is a fantastic figure for Ukrainian society. For example, Leonid Kuchma’s rating before his re-election in 1999 was around 20%.
