As Russian forces rushed towards the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on 24 February 2022, the comedian-turned president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky surprised the world.
“When you attack us you will see our faces – not our backs,” he said in a direct address to Vladimir Putin, making clear his nation would not back down in the face of invasion. When Mr Zelensky appeared later, he was wearing military fatigues, clothes he has worn ever since.
