Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska (44), born Olena Kiyashko, was born on February 6, 1978. She grew up in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, and this is where she first met Volodymyr Zelenskyjthen they went to school together.
However, it was not until university that the two became lovers. He studied law while studying architecture.
As a 19-year-old, Zelensky started a new comedy group – Quarter 95 – and included Zelenska on the team as screenwriter. They married in 2003 after eight years together, and had a daughter Oleksandra in 2004 and a son Kyrylo in 2013.
Would not be the first lady
Six years after his son was born, Volodymyr Zelenskyj ran for president of Ukraine. Zelenska was skeptical of the man’s decision and did not immediately accept it.
– I was not so happy when I realized that it was his plan. I understood that everything would change, and what challenges it would bring, Zelenska said in an interview with Ukrainian Vogue.
– THE VICTORY KISS: In confetti rain on 21 April 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyj and Olena Zelenska exchanged a victory kiss when it became clear that he would rule the country in the coming years. Photo: Vadim Ghirda / AP
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She told the magazine that her own time as a mother, before life as a first lady, was when she could drive a car alone. Now, surrounded by guards at all times, she is only alone when she is in the bathroom.
– But I’m lucky with the people I have in my life. They are quiet when I need silence, and can hold a conversation when they feel the need, Zelenska said.
The screenwriter describes himself as a small public figure, who prefers to stay in the background.
– I’m not the center of the party, I do not like to tell jokes. It’s not in my nature, she said.
– WITH THE Pope: In 2020, Zelensky and Zelenska were in audience with Pope Francis in the Vatican. Photo: Gregorio Borgia / AP
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Joined the family
During her time as first lady, she has, among other things, fought against domestic violence and focused on gender equality and better school food. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the focus has been forced on completely different things.
Olena Zelenska is now the first lady of a country at war.
– My dear people, Ukrainians! I see you all today. Everyone I watch on TV, on the street, on the Internet. You are incredible. I am proud to live in the same country as you, Zelenska wrote in an Instagram post the same day that Russia attacked.
– JOIN THE FAMILY: The entire presidential family has chosen to stay in the capital Kyiv. Photo: Efrem Lukatsky / AP
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– I do not want to panic and cry. I want to be calm and confident. My kids are watching me. I want to be next to them. And next to my husband. And with you, she finished the post.
But despite the war and how vulnerable they are as a presidential family, Zelenska and her children – as far as is known – have chosen to stay in the capital Kyiv with Zelensky.
Shields the children
During the war, she has shared frequent updates on Instagram about Ukrainians who have lost their lives, including children.
– The most frightening and devastating thing about this invasion is the children who are affected. When Russia claims they do not want to harm civilians, it is the killed children I think of first, she wrote in an open letter on March 8.
She has mostly chosen to shield her two own children from social media, but her daughter Oleksandra has already followed in her father’s footsteps and starred in several films.
This despite the fact that Zelenska’s wish for the children was a more ordinary, more secluded life.
“Yngstemann still has the opportunity for a normal childhood – to play with other children, play sports and go to music school without attracting unnecessary attention,” she said in a interview in 2019.
Will stop Putin
Exactly where Zelenska and the children are staying while the war is in full swing is uncertain, but the 44-year-old continues to actively share posts with the Ukrainian population through social media.
In a post last week, she called for NATO to comply with the request for a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
“If we do not stop Putin, who is threatening nuclear war, there will be no safe place in the world for any of us,” Zelenska wrote.
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