A behemoth is shuffling towards Kyiv. Yesterday, a convoy 40 miles long slowly approached the Ukrainian capital. Helicopters and ground forces amassed in southern Belarus.

Russian bombardment of civilian areas intensified, as Putin sought to demoralise the Ukrainian people and force a quick end to a brutal war.

Against this onslaught stands one man: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He knows if Russian forces capture him he will be killed. He knows that Putin has ordered more than 400 mercenaries from the Wagner GroupA band of mercenaries operating around the world who have been accused of torture and other war crimes. death squad to assassinate him and his family. Still, he remains in the capital, rallying his people.

Before he came to power in 2019, he was a popular comedian most famous for his starring role in Servant of the People, a TV series about a history teacher who gets himself elected president by accident - and for winning the Ukrainian version of Strictly Come Dancing.

As president, his number one promise was to end the conflict with Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Yet the deal he struck was seen as a surrender to Russia.

While the threat of war ramped up, he continued to emphasise his hopes for a diplomatic solution, which many thought naive.

Earlier this month he changed tack, accusing Russian-backed forces of attacking civilians and criticising the West for not taking a harder line against Putin.

For the past week, he has appeared in public wearing military fatiguesA kind of casual military uniform that soldiers wear for fieldwork and combat duty. They are usually green, brown or khaki.. When the USA offered to evacuate him to a safe location he said he would remain in Kyiv with the defence forces, adding: "I need ammunition, not a ride."

After an emotional appeal for Ukraine to be admitted to the EU, he raised a one-fisted salute: "Glory to UkraineIn the Soviet Union, the slogan Slava Ukraini! was forbidden. It became a popular phrase during the Ukrainian independence movement.". Members of the European Parliament gave him a round of applause.

Everyone appreciates an unlikely hero.

For example, Napoleon Bonaparte was born into an impoverished minor noble family in Corsica in 1769. In the following 35 years, he transformed himself into one of history's greatest generals and changed the face of Europe.

Ulysses S Grant was living in poverty on a farm in Illinois when the American Civil War broke out. He became the UnionThe Northern, non-slave owning states that remained in the USA when the southern states seceded.'s most successful general and brought about an end to the war. Seven years later, he was elected president.

Yes: War leaders are always looked on fondly by later generations, and very few war leaders in history have shown Zelensky's extraordinary personal courage. However the war ends, he will be remembered.

No: Zelensky is satisfying people's temporary need for a hero. But in the end, he is just a man. When the dust settles, history will judge his career as a whole; it will forget the passions behind him now.

Or... Zelensky is only 44, young by political standards. If he survives the war, he is likely to have a long career after this: his place in history is not yet written.

Wagner Group - A band of mercenaries operating around the world who have been accused of torture and other war crimes.

Military fatigues - A kind of casual military uniform that soldiers wear for fieldwork and combat duty. They are usually green, brown or khaki.

Glory to Ukraine - In the Soviet Union, the slogan Slava Ukraini! was forbidden. It became a popular phrase during the Ukrainian independence movement.

Union - The Northern, non-slave owning states that remained in the USA when the southern states seceded.