Steven Derix is a journalist at the prestigious Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. Together with Dolf de Groot he wrote Blood Brothers: The Downfall of Team Rabobank, which uncovered Michael Boogerd’s doping fraud. From 2014 to 2020 he was NRC correspondent for Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

Introduction. Russia's President Vladimir Putin shows his contempt for Ukraine's new president Volydymyr Zelensky, an actor turned politician who has swept to power after starring in a TV drama Servant of the People, where he plays a history teacher who dreams of becoming President of Ukraine 1. Al Pacino. Volodymyr Zelensky grows up in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, and starts to compete in KVN talent championships in Ukraine and Russia, following the fall of the Soviet Union, while also wooing his future wife Olena 2. Bad Neighbours. Charing the history of Ukraine from Viking settlements to the 21st Century, including the vexed relationship between Russia, the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, and Volydymyr Zelensky's progression through the Ukrainian and Russian TV industry via KVN shows 3. The Comedy Factory. Ukraine develops as an independent state, still under pressure from Russia, while Volydymyr Zelensky makes his name in Ukraine and Russia with his troupe and TV company Kvartal 95. 4. Maidan. Modern Ukraine erupts in protests amid the Orange Revolution against corrupt elections and government. Volydymyr Zelensky eventually finds his forte in political satire. Mentions Maidan Square, Yuriy Koryavchenkov, Vitali Klitschko, Rinat Akhmetov, Viktor Yanukovych, Viktor Yushchenko 5. Servant of the People. Volydmyr Zelensky starts a TV show, Servant of the People, playing a teacher who dreams of becoming President and cleaning up Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia's 'little green men' troops occupy the Crimea peninsula. Mentions Vasyl Holoborodko and Yulia Tymoshenko’s Fatherland Party 6. The Turbo Regime. After winning the presidential election with a landslide, Volydymyr Zelensky starts reforming Ukraine, and immediately runs into trouble with US President Donald Trump. Russia and Ukraine hold peace talks to try to settle their differences over the Donbas and Crimea 7. Confrontation. Volodymyr Zelensky takes on Ukraine's powerful oligarchs and suspected judicial and political corruption. Mentions Ruslan Riaboshapka, Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine National Security and Defence Council, Viktor Medvedchuk, Taras Kozak, Olena Kondratiuk 8. The Wartime President. Russia invades Ukraine in 2022 and President Zelensky mounts a staunch defence of his country, successfully rallying Western support for his battle against overwhelming firepower. Mentions Zapad military exercise, Russian invasion of Ukraine 2022, FSB agents, Alexey Navalny A Note on Sources. The authors have used some of Steven Derix's reporting for the Dutch newspaper NRC. Explains the use of sources and naming protocol, preferring Ukrainian spellings over Russian ones for Ukrainian names. So the book refers to Zelensky rather than Zelenskyi or Zelenskyy. Bibliography. An extensive list of references for this biography of Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky, including sources in Dutch, English, Russian, Ukrainian and Polish.

Covering Zelensky’s background and bustling TV career through to his first, controversial years in office to Russia’s full-scale blitzkrieg, Zelensky is a vivid and concise biography of a driven man. It’s ideal for anyone who wants to understand Ukraine’s charismatic president, his complex country, and its vexed relationship with Russia.