on an unlikely hero. >> reporter: just three years ago volodymyr zelenskyy may never have envisioned himself dealing with the largest conventional military attack in europe since world war 2. zelenskyy was known to u ukrainians then as comedian. on that show zelenskyy's character unexpectedly became president of ukraine after ranting about corruption. then life imitated art. positioning himself as a political outsider running on a platform of fighting corruption and ending the conflict in eastern ukraine, zelenskyy won a landslide victory over the incumbent in 2019. >> he was very comfortable in what's called the russia world. he made a great career in part by appealing not just to ukrainians but also to russians. >> reporter: just a few months into his presidency zelenskyy