The Zelensky Effect

With Russian shells raining on Kyiv and tanks closing in, American forces stood ready to evacuate Ukraine’s neophyte leader, a man whose main qualification just three years earlier seemed to be having played a president on TV. But in what became an international rallying cry, Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly retorted ‘I need ammunition, not a ride’. Ukrainian forces then won the battle for Kyiv, ensuring their country’s future independence even as a longer battle for its southeast set in. You cannot understand the historic events of 2022 without understanding Zelensky. But the Zelensky effect is less about the man himself than about the civic nation in which he was born and that he embodies. In fact, what makes Zelensky most extraordinary in war is his very ordinariness as a Ukrainian, though paradoxically he is ‘ordinary’ in a way few others could be.

The Zelensky Effect explains this paradox, exploring Ukraine’s national history to show how he reflects and expresses the hopes and frustrations of its first ‘independence generation.’ Interweaving social science, historical narrative, and compelling episodes from Zelensky’s life and performances, this book presents a story of leadership and national identity in the face of corruption and war.

‘The go-to book for grasping Ukrainians’ morale in the face of Russian aggression, and the determination of their president, who has demonstrated atmospheric levels of heroism and leadership — perhaps unlike any other in the world in recent decades.’ — Marc Berenson, Senior Lecturer at King’s Russia Institute, King’s College London

‘This wonderfully written and engaging book documents the emergence of Ukrainian civic national identity, best exemplified by Zelensky. A must-read for anyone wishing to understand contemporary Ukraine and what Ukrainians believe, value and fight for.’ — Eugene Finkel, Kenneth H. Keller Associate Professor of International Affairs, Johns Hopkins University

‘Drawing on years of research on Ukrainian politics and society, this timely study paints a fuller picture of Zelensky and the conditions that made him who he is today, and deserves a wide readership at this critical moment in European history.’ — Gwendolyn Sasse, Director of the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS)