You’ve probably seen it. A grainy, high-energy clip of four men in skin-tight leather, strutting and back-flipping in five-inch stilettos. Right in the center is a familiar face: Volodymyr Zelensky. Before he was the President of Ukraine, and long before he was the face of national resistance, he was a comedian. A very good one.
The video is real. It isn't a deepfake, though plenty of those exist now. This specific performance was a 2014 parody of the Ukrainian synth-pop group Kazaky, known for their high-fashion, gender-bending dance routines. Zelensky, leading his comedy troupe Kvartal 95, wasn't just messing around. He was performing a sharp, satirical bit for a show called Evening Kyiv.
Honestly, the context matters more than the shoes.
Zelensky Dancing in High Heels: The Story Behind the Stilettos
Back in 2014, Zelensky was the king of Ukrainian entertainment. He wasn't just an actor; he was a mogul. His company, Kvartal 95, dominated the airwaves. The "high heels" video was actually a parody of the Kazaky song "Love." If you watch the original Kazaky video, it’s all black-and-white, brooding, and hyper-stylized. Zelensky’s version? It was a hilarious, high-octane send-up.
He didn't just stand there. He danced.
The choreography was demanding. Kazaky’s signature style involves "waacking" and precision footwork that most people can't do in sneakers, let alone 14-centimeter heels. Zelensky and his teammates—including Yevhen Koshevy and Stepan Kazanin—went all in. They wore the cropped leather tops. They wore the leggings. They nailed the hair flips.
Why the parody happened
Ukraine has a deep tradition of "Cossack" culture, which is traditionally very masculine. Kazaky (the band) played with that name, as it sounds like the word for Cossacks. Zelensky’s parody leaned into this irony. The sketch was titled "Made in Ukraine," and it poked fun at the shift in Ukrainian pop culture. It was subversive, slightly scandalous for the time, and undeniably funny.
Not All "High Heel" Videos Are Real
We have to talk about the misinformation. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, certain corners of the internet have weaponized Zelensky’s past. You’ll find videos of a man in a red fringe outfit belly dancing, with captions claiming it’s the Ukrainian president.
That one is fake.
Fact-checkers from Reuters and AP have confirmed that the "belly dance" clip is a deepfake. The original video actually features a Russian dancer who goes by the name "Vusaaal" on TikTok. Digital artists swapped Zelensky’s face onto the dancer’s body to make him look "unpresidential."
It’s a classic tactic. Use a real piece of history—like the 2014 Kazaky parody—to make a fake video seem more plausible. If people know he once wore heels for a sketch, they’re more likely to believe he’s the guy in the red belly-dancing outfit. He isn't.
The "Dancing with the Stars" Factor
People often confuse the high heels clip with his 2006 run on Tantsi z zirkamy (the Ukrainian version of Dancing with the Stars). Zelensky actually won that season. He performed a blindfolded samba and a legendary Charlie Chaplin-inspired routine. He was a legitimate dancer long before he was a politician. This professional training is exactly why he was able to pull off the Kazaky parody without breaking an ankle.
How the Entertainment Past Shaped the President
It’s easy to dismiss a man in heels as "just a comedian." But for Zelensky, that career was his training ground for communication. In 2026, looking back at his trajectory, the nuance is clear. He understood the power of the image. He knew how to capture an audience's attention in seconds.
His critics used these videos to try and shame him. They called him a "clown." They said he wasn't a serious man. But for many Ukrainians, these clips were proof of his humanity. He was one of them. He wasn't a stiff, Soviet-style bureaucrat who had been groomed in backrooms for forty years. He was a guy who could take a joke.
Nuance in the Narrative
- The Pro-Ukraine View: Supporters see the video as evidence of his versatility and "everyman" appeal.
- The Critic View: Opponents (and foreign propagandists) use it to suggest he lacks the gravitas required for high office.
- The Reality: The transition from entertainer to statesman is a path previously walked by figures like Ronald Reagan. The difference here is the digital age, where every sketch is archived forever.
What You Can Do with This Information
If you run into these videos online, it helps to be the person who knows the difference between a satirical sketch and a deepfake.
- Check the shoes. The real Zelensky clip features black heels and leather outfits from 2014. If you see a red fringe or a belly-dancing belt, it's a deepfake of the dancer Vusaaal.
- Contextualize the "Cringe." Understand that in the context of Ukrainian television in the 2010s, this was mainstream comedy, not a political statement.
- Verify the Source. Most authentic clips come from the official Kvartal 95 YouTube channel, which has archived nearly two decades of Zelensky's performances.
Understanding the origin of the Zelensky dancing in high heels video prevents you from falling for low-effort propaganda. It shows a leader who was once a world-class performer, a fact that arguably helped him master the art of the wartime address.
For those looking to see more of his pre-political work, the Servant of the People series (now on various streaming platforms) offers a much more direct look at the political philosophy that eventually led him to the presidency. You can also find his 2006 Dancing with the Stars performances, which show the technical skill that made the Kazaky parody possible in the first place.
