Volodymyr Zelensky’s landslide victory in the Ukrainian presidential election this past week provoked some surprise, but mostly shock at how a Jewish comedian could wind up as president of Ukraine.
For years, the country has been torn apart by a proxy war with Russia and the country’s competing oligarchs, assisted American power brokers subsequently swept up in Robert Mueller’s investigation of the 2016 election. This weekend’s landslide election — Zelensky won 73 percent of the vote — looked like an encouraging sign.
The reality may be more complicated.