Simon Schuster, "The Showman": Volodymyr Zelensky and the War in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a former popular actor, screenwriter, and producer in film and show business, entered politics almost by accident, winning the 2019 election on the back of the success of his series "Servant of the People" and capitalizing on public fatigue with government corruption and the military standoff with pro-Russian separatists in Donbas. He promised voters he would bring peace and prosperity to the country, but soon encountered Vladimir Putin's reluctance to abandon his interference in the domestic politics of a neighboring state, and then, in February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. But the former showman was not intimidated and did not flee abroad, as the Kremlin had hoped. Zelenskyy remained in Kyiv and led the resistance, becoming the full-fledged leader of the embattled country in just a few months.

Simon Shuster, an American journalist of Russian descent and correspondent for Time magazine, spent almost all of 2022 with Zelenskyy's team in Kyiv, enjoying unique access to the presidential complex on Bankova Street. It was there that the idea for his book emerged: to recount how the head of state and his entourage experienced the first months of full-scale war. The book includes both the significant events of that time—the battle for Kyiv, the tragedy in Bucha, the Ukrainian Armed Forces counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region, and the liberation of Kherson—and what preceded them or remained unreported.

ISBN 978-9934-9255-4-2

Paperback, 492 pages