KYIV: Ukrainian President Voloydymyr Zelensky has regularly posted updates to his social media showing his citizens that he’s staying on the ground in Kyiv and fighting.

In his addresses, he’s given voice to Ukrainian anger and defiance of Russian aggression. His steadfastness has won him many fans online, BBC has reported.

Zelensky, 44, was previously a TV comedian in Ukraine before entering politics. When he was elected in 2019 in a landslide victory, he said it was because people saw the “Cinderella story” in his background and that an ordinary person could lead a nation too.

Political commentators at the time wrote him off as a bit of a lark. But he’s proven himself a convincing and inspiring leader in recent times.

And he’s led by example in refusing to run away. To reports that the US had offered him an evacuation flight, he responded: “I need ammunition. Not a ride”.

(With inputs from BBC)