No. 21: Volodymyr Zelensky: The Jewish president who became the face of Ukraine’s resistance

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a Jewish leader, has guided Ukraine through a nearly five-year invasion, pushing for EU membership and combating corruption. Since Russia's February 2022 invasion, Ukraine has suffered significant casualties and territorial losses, yet Zelensky's leadership has been marked by courage and innovation, particularly in drone technology. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly labeled Zelensky's government a "Nazi regime," despite Zelensky's grandfather fighting the Third Reich and many family members perishing in the Holocaust. Zelensky, whose paternal grandfather was the sole survivor of his immediate family in the Holocaust, has stated, "When Russians [talk] about neo-Nazis and point to me, I just reply that I have lost my entire family in the war, because all of them were exterminated during World War II." He has consistently downplayed his Jewish identity, noting in 2019, "The fact that I am a Jew is about the 20th question among my characteristics."