# Wide Zelenskyy Wide Zelenskyy horizontally stretches parade footage of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walking so he looks short and squat, set to Piano Fantasia's 'Song for Denise.' Ukrainian YouTuber Nikita Makovsky posted the first version in June 2020[1], but the edit went viral across YouTube, Reddit and TikTok in late February 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, functioning as a comedic counter to the earlier Wide Putin format[3][5]. ## Origin On June 14, 2020, Ukrainian YouTuber Nikita Makovsky posted 'Зеленського розперло і тепер він шагає | Wide Zelensky Walking,' which stretched parade footage of Zelenskyy walking and layered it over the Piano Fantasia Maxi version of 'Song for Denise'[1][8]. The video sat at roughly 1,600 views for close to two years, making it an obscure upload with little immediate traction[6]. Makovsky's edit followed the template of Wide Putin, which paired the identical song with a stretched Putin clip, and substituted the Ukrainian leader for comedic contrast[6]. - **Platform:** YouTube - **Creator:** Nikita Makovsky - **Date:** 2020 ## Overview Each Wide Zelenskyy edit squashes the same parade clip of the Ukrainian president walking toward the camera so his body looks about half as tall and twice as wide, giving him a stubby, waddling silhouette[1]. The Piano Fantasia Maxi version of 'Song for Denise' runs underneath, turning a formal military appearance into a bouncy comedic loop[8]. The format works as a companion to Wide Putin, an earlier Russian-made edit that applied the same horizontal stretch and the same track to Vladimir Putin, and the Zelenskyy version took on political meaning once he became the public face of wartime resistance in late February 2022[6]. Captions often cast the squashed Zelenskyy as scaring Russian troops or marching to victory, as in absol505's 'WIDE Zelensky walk but it makes the Russians RETREAT'[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Wide Zelenskyy? A video edit that horizontally stretches parade footage of Volodymyr Zelenskyy walking so he appears short and squat, set to Piano Fantasia's Maxi version of 'Song for Denise'[1][8]. ### Where did Wide Zelenskyy come from? Ukrainian YouTuber Nikita Makovsky posted the first version on June 14, 2020[1], and the edit went viral in late February 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine[3][4]. ### What does Wide Zelenskyy mean? It works as a comedic counterpart to the earlier Wide Putin format, posted to contrast the two leaders during the 2021 to 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict[6]. ### How do you use Wide Zelenskyy? People remix the parade clip with a horizontal stretch, keep the Piano Fantasia song underneath, and caption the loop as a wartime taunt, like absol505's 'WIDE Zelensky walk but it makes the Russians RETREAT'[3]. ### Is Wide Zelenskyy still popular? The format peaked in late February and early March 2022 during the opening days of the invasion, with the jesse6990 TikTok reaching roughly 1.4 million plays[5] and the r/dankmemes GIF collecting around 20,900 upvotes[4]. ## References 1. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOyjMOr63cI]() 2. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI2TTzdAIdo]() 3. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKsndLAgUqw]() 4. [https://www.reddit.com/r/dankmemes/comments/t1xrst/wide_zelensky/]() 5. [https://www.tiktok.com/@jesse6990/video/7069436979988958470]() 6. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/wide-zelenskyy]() 7. [https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cam2dIusHZd/]() 8. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stdyhfeYxxI]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/wide-zelenskyy Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library