Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelynskyy once performed comedy gig in Drogheda, Co Louth

The 44-year-old politician was a stand up comic and actor before he became the leader of his country.

In 2018 he performed at Tommy Leddy Theatre (TLT) in Drogheda for an onstage production of his TV sitcom Servant of The People.

Zelynskyy played the Ukrainian president in the show which was a huge hit with audiences in Eastern Europe.

Almost 1,000 people packed into the theatre on the Meath border to see the show which was produced by a Ukrainian showbiz agent living in Ireland.

His satire TV show, Servant of The People, follows a history teacher who was unexpectedly elected as the president after a video of him ranting about government corruption goes viral.

The show which aired from 2015 to 2019 was produced by Zelenskyy’s own production studio.

In 2018, he founded a political party named after the TV show and the following year he was elected President of Ukraine with over 70 pc of second round votes.

Following Zelenskyy’s rise to international recognition following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, broadcasting rights to the show have been sold around the world.

Channel 4 in England have attained rights to air the show across Britain.

Other countries planning to air the show in the near future include Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Estonia, France, Finland and Georgia.

During his career as an entertainer, he also voiced Paddington Bear for the Ukrainian version of the film.

In 2006 he was a contestant on the first series of Dancing With The Stars in Ukraine and won the show.