On Wednesday evening, tens of millions of Ukrainians tuned in to catch a glimpse of their political future.

The premiere of the third series of comedy drama Servant of the People offered some immediately recognisable faces.

There was “Dmitry Surikov”, a cynical, scheming milk-baron president (read: Ukraine’s chocolate-baron president).

There was “Jeanne d’Borisenko”, a manipulative operator worried that she might be runninrg out of time to become presidient (read: Ukraine’s own Jeanne d’Arc, Yulia Tymoshenko, trying for the third time to become president).

And there was “Vasily Goloborodko”, teacher-turned-president and man of the people, played by none other than comedian and real-life presidential frontrunner Volodymyr Zelensky.

The hints were far from subtle.

The show shows a president thrown into jail – a nod to a joke made by Mr Zelensky last month that Petro Poroshenko was only running for a second term “to avoid getting a first [prison] term.”

Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Show all 32 1 /32 Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Activists of opposition parties burn flares during a rally demanding to break an agreement with Russia on the use of the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait, in front of the parliament building in Kiev Reuters Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Volunteers with the right-wing paramilitary Azov National Corps light flares during a rally on the snowy streets in front of the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev after Russia seized two of their armored artillery vessels and a tug boat in the Black Sea AP Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Ukrainian Nationalists demand to break the diplomatic relations with Russia and nationalization of Russian property in Ukraine EPA Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Ukrainian activists burn flares during their rally in front of Russian Consulate in Kharkiv EPA Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Activists of opposition parties burn flares during a rally demanding to break an agreement with Russia on the use of the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait, in front of the parliament building in Kiev, Ukraine November 26, 2018. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich GLEB GARANICH Reuters Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Seized Ukrainian ships, small armoured artillery ships and a tug boat, are seen anchored in a port of Kerch Reuters Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Volunteers with the right-wing paramilitary Azov National Corps brandish flares during a rally on the snowy streets in front of the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev, Ukraine, Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. Some hundreds of protesters from far-right party National Corps brandished yellow-and-blue flags with the Ukrainian national trident symbol, and a banner reading 'Don't back down!" . (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Efrem Lukatsky AP Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, announced, on 25 November, at a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council that they will introduce martial law in Ukraine for a period of 60 days and appeal to the Parliament to consider the move Reuters Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Russia seized two small-sized 'Berdiansk' and 'Nikopol' armored artillery boats. The 'Yany Kapu' tugboat has forcibly been stopped Reuters Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Children from an orphanage volunteer to help the city defenders strengthen trenches on Ukraine's Army positions near the village of Rybatske 25 km from Mariupol AP Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Volunteers with the right-wing paramilitary Azov National Corps light flares during a rally on the snowy streets in front of the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev, Ukraine, Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. Some hundreds of protesters from far-right party National Corps brandished yellow-and-blue flags with the Ukrainian national trident symbol, and a banner reading 'Don't back down!" (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Efrem Lukatsky AP Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Policemen guard at Russian consulate during a protest action in the Black Sea Ukrainian city of Odessa AFP/Getty Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 epa07190805 Ukrainian Nationalists burn flares and smoke grenades during their rally in front of Parliament building in Kiev, Ukraine, 26 November 2018 as they demand to break the diplomatic relations with Russia and nationalization of Russian property in Ukraine. The President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko at a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council on 25 November 2018 announced the decision to introduce martial law in Ukraine and to appeal to the Parliament to consider the move at an extraordinary meeting. It is about the introduction of martial law for a period of 60 days. The Ukrainian Parliament will convene for an extraordinary meeting at evening 26 November 2018. Russia has seized three Ukrainian vessels amid their leaving the Kerch Strait on 25 November 2018. The two small-sized 'Berdiansk' and 'Nikopol' armored artillery boats have come under enemy fire and are now dead in the water. The 'Yany Kapu' tugboat has forcibly been stopped. The vessels have been captured by special forces of the Russian Federation, the press service of Ukraine's Navy said on Facebook on Sunday evening. EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO EPA Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Activists of Ukrainian far-right groups shout slogans during their rally in front of the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev on November 26, 2018, as they demand to set martial law in the country and to cut diplomatic relations with Russia. - Ukraine's military was on high alert and parliament was to vote on November 26 on a request from President to impose martial law for 60 days after Russian navy seized three Ukrainian ships off the coast of Crimea. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP)SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 With relations still raw after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, the capture of three Ukrainian naval vessels risks pushing the two countries towards a wider conflict. Graphic explains how the naval incident unfolded on a map Graphic News Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Activists of far-right parties burn flares in front of the parliament building in Kiev during a rally to support the Ukrainian navy Reuters Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 A Ukraine army APC moves toward on position at an undisclosed location in eastern Ukraine AP Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Ukrainian Nationalists sign a banner with a slogan reading like 'Not retreat and not surrendering!' EPA Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Activists of Ukrainian far-right groups hold flares during their rally in front of the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev on November 26, 2018, as they demand to set martial law in the country and to cut diplomatic relations with Russia. - Ukraine's military was on high alert and parliament was to vote on November 26 on a request from President to impose martial law for 60 days after Russian navy seized three Ukrainian ships off the coast of Crimea. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP)SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images SERGEI SUPINSKY AFP/Getty Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Activists glue Ukrainian flag on the fence of Russian consulate AFP/Getty Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 A volunteer with the right-wing paramilitary Azov National Corps during a rally on the snowy streets in front of the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev AP Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Volunteers with the right-wing paramilitary Azov National Corps hold flares during a rally on the snowy streets in front of the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev, Ukraine, Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. Some hundreds of protesters from far-right party National Corps brandished yellow-and-blue flags with the Ukrainian national trident symbol, and a banner reading 'Don't back down!" (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Efrem Lukatsky AP Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 epa07190891 Ukrainian Nationalists attend their rally in front of Parliament building in Kiev, Ukraine, 26 November 2018 as they demand to break the diplomatic relations with Russia and nationalization of Russian property in Ukraine. The President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko at a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council on 25 November 2018 announced the decision to introduce martial law in Ukraine and to appeal to the Parliament to consider the move at an extraordinary meeting. It is about the introduction of martial law for a period of 60 days. The Ukrainian Parliament will convene for an extraordinary meeting at evening 26 November 2018. Russia has seized three Ukrainian vessels amid their leaving the Kerch Strait on 25 November 2018. The two small-sized 'Berdiansk' and 'Nikopol' armored artillery boats have come under enemy fire and are now dead in the water. The 'Yany Kapu' tugboat has forcibly been stopped. The vessels have been captured by special forces of the Russian Federation, the press service of Ukraine's Navy said on Facebook on Sunday evening. EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO SERGEY DOLZHENKO EPA Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 An activist piles up tires during a protest against the seizure by Russian special forces of three of the Ukrainian navy ships, which Russia blocked from passing through the Kerch Strait into the Sea of Azov in the Black Sea, in front of the Russian embassy in Kiev, Ukraine November 25, 2018. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Reuters Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 A National Guard serviceman extinguishes a torch thrown by a protester during a rally against the seizure by Russian special forces of three of the Ukrainian navy ships Reuters Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 A protester throws a smoke grenade during a rally in front of the embassy of Russia in Kiev AP Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Protestors set up paper ships on the tires during their rally near of Russian embassy building in Kiev EPA Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Smoke from a flare thrown by a protester is seen during a rally against the seizure by Russian special forces of three of the Ukrainian navy ships, which Russia blocked from passing through the Kerch Strait into the Sea of Azov in the Black Sea, in front of the Russian embassy in Kiev, Ukraine November 25, 2018. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich GLEB GARANICH Reuters Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 A man extinguishes a burning car of the embassy of Russia Reuters Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 Paper boats are seen placed during a protest Reuters Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 epa07190225 Ukrainian policemen guard the Russian embassy building with smoke behind during Ukrainian activists rally in Kiev, Ukraine, 25 November 2018. Russia has seized three Ukrainian vessels amid their leaving the Kerch Strait; Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is gathering the Military Cabinet over the incident. The two small-sized 'Berdiansk' and 'Nikopol' armored artillery boats have come under enemy fire and are now dead in the water. The 'Yany Kapu' tugboat has forcibly been stopped. The vessels have been captured by special forces of the Russian Federation, the press service of Ukraine's Navy said on Facebook on Sunday evening. The Ukrainian Navy also reported the number of the Ukrainian servicemen wounded in the incident grew to two persons as Ukrainian media report. EPA/STEPAN FRANKO EPA-EFE/STEPAN FRANKO EPA Protests break out after Russia seize Ukraine warships in 2018 epa07190217 A protestor throws a smoke grenade at the building during their rally near the Russian embassy in Kiev, Ukraine, 25 November 2018. Russia has seized three Ukrainian vessels amid their leaving the Kerch Strait; Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is gathering the Military Cabinet over the incident. The two small-sized 'Berdiansk' and 'Nikopol' armored artillery boats have come under enemy fire and are now dead in the water. The 'Yany Kapu' tugboat has forcibly been stopped. The vessels have been captured by special forces of the Russian Federation, the press service of Ukraine's Navy said on Facebook on Sunday evening. The Ukrainian Navy also reported the number of the Ukrainian servicemen wounded in the incident grew to two persons as Ukrainian media report. EPA/STEPAN FRANKO EPA-EFE/STEPAN FRANKO EPA

Then, Jeanne d’Borisenko (Tymoshenko) makes it to the presidency on the back of promising everything to everyone. (“If I said I’ll do it, I’ll do it” is her catchphrase, never fulfilled.)

Alas, D’Borisenko falls out with the oligarchs who control her, and she is pushed out of office after 50 days.

The nation is bankrupted and a Maidan revolution awaits.

By the time our hero Goloborodko is released from jail, the country has been split into 28 independent states. Ukraine is limited to the city bounds of Kiev. And even the suburbs of Troyeshchina have broken off to form their own splinter state.

At a minimum, it was a master class in trolling. But there seemed to be much more to Mr Zelensky’s latest television offering than just jokes.

Blurring political reality with dramatic fiction, it offered a new blueprint about how to engage with and influence voters in the Trumpian, post-truth world.

The candidacy of Mr Zelensky is far from the first time a showman has used their popularity and face recognition to enter politics.

From the get-go, international media have connected the obvious dots between Mr Zelensky and Donald Trump. After all, both men rose on a wave of disillusionment and as anti-politics politicians.

Mr Zelensky, on his part, prefers to talk about Ronald Reagan.

But his candidacy goes much further into the postmodern than either of the American showmen. Arguably more than any presidential candidate in history, it has been impossible to set man apart from mask, character from candidate, and voter from television viewer.

His team, for example, have derided the idea of a traditional election campaign, preferring instead to hold free “concerts”.

There has been precious little in the way of policy discussion. The comedian is certainly not the only candidate to limit media engagement. The other two frontrunners have been even less willing to talk to independent journalists. But without a significant political history behind him, you have to work very hard to understand what Zelensky the candidate really stands for.

And the merging of man and mask has also allowed the candidate to evade responsibility for what he has said.

Jeanne D’Borisenko, a character that closely resembles Mr Zelensky’s fellow candidate Yulia Tymoshenko (1+1 / Sluga naroda)

Mr Zelensky’s strategist Dmitry Razumkov, for example, was at pains to distance his candidate from the Poroshenko “two-terms” joke. That, he told The Independent, was a “joke said in character”. The president Zelensky would not even joke about such things.

But like the 24 minds of Billy Milligan, it is never clear where character Goloborodko ends and the candidate Zelensky begins.

You can only imagine what Mr Trump would have done to be able to present a pick-and-mix vision of the future on prime time TV, to show himself to the nation as a national saviour, and in direct juxtaposition to a group of pathetic, corrupt and dishonest opponents.

It isn’t, of course, enough to simply develop new levers of manipulation. The brilliance of Mr Zelensky’s campaign – and what, incidentally distinguishes it from Mr Trump – is that his candidate character is fundamentally a good guy, a unifier, and with moderate positions. In Ukraine’s polarised, militarised media space, the moderate ground generally isn’t well catered for, and Mr Zelensky-Goloborodko does much to fill that gap.

So the president character is an ordinary guy fighting against corruption. He is for the idea of Ukraine having two languages, but Ukrainian remaining the state language. He is for Russians but against Putin. He is for paying pensions to the impoverished pensioners left behind in the conflict zones of eastern Ukraine.

And he takes an eminently reasonable stance on Crimea, admitting the obvious: that it won’t be returned to Ukraine while Vladimir Putin remains in power.

“Mr Zelensky isn’t calling Mexicans awful things, and he isn’t talking about building walls,” says the journalist and editor Natalya Gumenyuk.

This, she adds, is what makes it a difficult choice for democratically minded Ukrainians who understand not everything is real.

Volodymyr Zelensky’s comedy drama depicts a cynical, scheming milk-baron president clearly resembling Ukraine’s chocolate-baron president Petro Poroshenko (1+1 / Sluga naroda)

“We all see the deception, and wonder about his relationship with the trickster oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky,” she says. “But we also wonder whether the sensible positions of a virtual president might actually make the reality more palatable.”

On Sunday, Mr Zelensky will offer his various selves to the Ukrainian electorate in what promises to be the least predictable elections of a generation.

On the one hand, the vote will be a test of Ukraine’s post-Maidan history: whether voters are happy with Mr Poroshenko’s record; angry about rising utility prices; or worried about who will best defend the country.

But it also promises to be a battle between two systems of voter manipulation, one old and one new.

If local media is to be believed, the defending president’s team has reverted to many of the old-school tricks: going heavy on militaristic threats; election alliances with regional godfathers; pension bungs on the eve of elections; and looking to limit turnout among those less likely to vote the right way – according to Mr Zelensky’s team, these include threats of military conscription officers at polling booths to limit the youth vote.

One of the very last polls published before the election suggested the president’s tactics have enjoyed some success. According to these figures, Mr Poroshenko is in line for a strong second place finish behind Mr Zelensky, 22.1 per cent compared to 24.1 per cent. This is a major and largely unexpected uptick in his numbers,