The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is supported by his wife Olena Zelenska, with the couple growing up in the same city and tying the knot over 20 years ago
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been married to his wife for more than 20 years, having grown up in the same city.
Olena Zelenska, 47, was catapulted into the limelight back in 2019 when her husband became Ukraine’s new president. Initially, Olena was reportedly opposed to Zelenskyy’s presidential ambitions, but she has since flourished in her role as Ukraine’s First Lady, earning recognition as one of the country’s most influential women.
Hailing from Kryvyi Rih, the largest city in central Ukraine, Olena is a successful screenwriter. She studied architecture at Kryvyi Rih National University, where she crossed paths with her future husband. However, instead of pursuing a career in architecture after completing her studies, Olena began writing for Kvartal 95, setting the stage for her successful writing career.
Despite the pair growing up in the same city and attending the same schools, it wasn’t until their university days that they truly got to know each other. It was during this time that Volodymyr was honing his skills as a comedian while studying law.
Love blossomed between the pair when Olena wrote for the comedy group that catapulted her husband to fame and landed him his renowned role as a parody politician in the popular Ukrainian TV series Servant of the People. The couple exchanged vows in September 2003 and welcomed their first child, a daughter named Oleksandra, in July 2004 and their son Kyrylo in January 2013.
Zelenskyy later decided to venture into politics, a move that Olena initially “aggressively opposed.” However, his presidential campaign was successful, and he assumed office as Ukraine’s president in 2019, making Olena the First Lady. She graced the cover of the Ukrainian edition of Vogue in November 2019, where she candidly discussed her new position, stating: “I am a non-public person. But the new realities require their own rules, and I’m trying to comply with them.”
She added: “I prefer staying backstage. My husband is always on the forefront, while I feel more comfortable in the shade. I am not the life of the party, I do not like to tell jokes. It’s not in my character. But I found reasons for myself in favour of publicity. One of them is the opportunity to attract people’s attention to important social issues.”
Since stepping into the role of Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena has made significant strides, including championing a law to enhance the nutritional standards and variety of food in Ukrainian schools, as well as spearheading a campaign to encourage the use of the Ukrainian language.
