Only 41 days passed between one photo and the other. On February 22 lastthe president of Ukraine, Volodomir Zelensky, is seen shaved and in a suit. That day he spoke on television after Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the two breakaway regions of Donbass. So war was just a possibility.
Yesterday, when he visited Bucha, the scene of a ferocious massacre, a very different image of the Ukrainian president was seen: with bags under his eyes, horror on his face and dressed as a military man.
The exactor lived through a metamorphosis in just over a month. He changed the suits for military green shirts and grew a beard. Zelensky, now 44, studied law but found his passion in acting and comedy., becoming in 2010 one of the most popular artists in the country with the TV series Sirviente del Pueblo. In that show, Zelensky played a charming high school teacher fed up with corrupt politicians who accidentally becomes president.
(Be sure to read: Ukraine: At Least 50 Killed in Missile Attack on Train Station).
A few years later, in 2019, Zelensky became the real president of Ukraine. On a few occasions, during the run-up to the Russian invasion, the comedian turned fledgling statesman had seemed inconsistent, one day criticizing the West for spreading fear and the next for not doing enough. But his bravery and refusal to give up in the face of missiles raining down on the capital have made him an unlikely hero to many around the world.
The Ukrainian president decided to stay in kyiv to lead the resistanceeven though he had been advised to leave the country to avoid being arrested or killed by Russian forces.
After an offer from the United States to move him to a safe place, Zelensky responded on Saturday: “I need ammunition, not a ride.” The stress of leading a country in times of war begins to show on his face.
(Read on: Putin seeks victory in Donbas by May 9, according to France.)
It is common for presidents to leave office with more gray hair than when they took office. During Barack Obama’s presidency, images of him with graying hair went viral just years later.
A study cited by the Business Insider site points out that a study by Harvard Medical School based on North American leaders found that on average, the candidates who were elected president live an average of three years less than the defeated candidates.
THE NATION (Argentina) – GDA
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