Who Is Volodymyr Zelensky's Wife? All About Olena Zelenska
Get to the know the First Lady of Ukraine.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's wife, Olena Kiyashko (now known as Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska) has become an icon of strength and resilience in Ukraine, similarly to her mega-famous husband.
Kiyashko recently made headlines for her essay, "I Testify," about the widespread suffering and devastation in Ukraine since Russia's invasion in late February 2022.
"Despite assurances from Kremlin-backed propaganda outlets, who call this a 'special operation'—it is, in fact, the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians," she wrote in part (translated to English from Ukrainian). "Perhaps the most terrifying and devastating of this invasion are the child casualties. Eight-year-old Alice who died on the streets of Okhtyrka while her grandfather tried to protect her. Or Polina from Kyiv, who died in the shelling with her parents. 14-year-old Arseniy was hit in the head by wreckage, and could not be saved because an ambulance could not get to him on time because of intense fires. When Russia says that it is 'not waging war against civilians,' I call out the names of these murdered children first."
"Our women and children now live in bomb shelters and basements. You have most likely all seen these images from Kyiv and Kharkiv metro stations, where people lie on the floors with their children and pets – trapped beneath," she continued. "These are just consequences of war for some, for Ukrainians it now a horrific reality. In some cities families cannot get out of the bomb shelters for several days in a row because of the indiscriminate and deliberate bombing and shelling of civilian infrastructure."
Kiyashko continued, "With this letter, I testify and tell the world: the war in Ukraine is not a war 'somewhere out there.' This is a war in Europe, close to the EU borders. Ukraine is stopping the force that may aggressively enter your cities tomorrow under the pretext of saving civilians. Last week to me and my people, this would have seemed like an exaggeration, but it is the reality we're living in today. And we do not know how long it will last. If we don't stop Putin, who threatens to start a nuclear war, there will be no safe place in the world for any of us."
"We will win," she asserted. "Because of our unity. Unity towards love for Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine!"
Get to know Ukraine's incredible first lady and her love story with the comedian-turned-president.
Related: How to Help Ukraine and Ukrainian Refugees as Russia Invades
Who is Volodymyr Zelensky's wife?
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Kiyashko is a screenwriter from Ukraine and previously studied architecture at Kryvyi Rih National University. She has since then turned her focus to other creative endeavors, including working and writing text for the Ukraine government TV network Kvartal 95.
How did Volodymyr Zelensky meet his wife?
Kiyashko met Zelensky in college, though they shared mutual friends and went to school together previously—early in their lives, apparently, they were like ships passing in the night. They began dating in 1995 (Kiyashko was reportedly in a relationship with someone else when they first met), and they were together for eight years before tying the knot on Sept. 6, 2003, according to The Sun.
What does Olena Zelenska do as first lady of Ukraine?
Kiyasho became the first lady of Ukraine in May 2019, though she told Vogue Ukraine (via the London Evening Standard) that she was actually initially averse to her husband's political ambitions.
She admitted, "I am a non-public person. But the new realities [being first lady] require their own rules, and I'm trying to comply with them ... 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 favor of publicity. One of them is the opportunity to attract people's attention to important social issues."
Since then, she (like former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama!) made one of her signature initiatives to improve childhood nutrition, developing new school menus with chef Ievgen Klopotenko and providing more resources and food regulations as of 2021. She explained to Vogue Ukraine (via the London Evening Standard) of her efforts, "In Japan, for example, there is a nutritionist in every school that pays special attention to the nutrition of children with allergies, and the kitchens in schools are completely separated and sterile, like an operations room. I sourced numerous ideas and became convinced that making positive changes is real, you just have to sincerely crave something, and work hard."
She is also passionate about improving gender equality, reportedly delivering a speech at Ukrainian Women's Congress that aided the country's entry into G7's Biarritz Partnership. She also works to build increased accessibility to healthcare and social and economic success, which are some of the focuses of her work on the "Without Barriers" initiative.
She said in a statement at the time (translated from Ukrainian), "During quarantine, millions of people experienced complete or partial isolation. We all felt barriers. In fact, without even realizing it, we all participated in a social experiment at the same time - as in our society, in our cities and villages. to live with people with limited mobility, mental and physical differences. For most of us, this is not forever. But there are people nearby for whom these barriers will never disappear. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are constantly living behind the barriers that everyone has now felt."
Kiyashko also works to spread knowledge of and fluency in the Ukrainian language around the world, an initiative that likely means more to her now than ever before.
What is Volodymyr Zelensky's wife's age?
Zelenska is 44 years old. She was born on Feb. 6, 1978, in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine.
Who is in Volodymyr Zelensky's family?
Kiyashko and Zelensky share two children.
The couple's daughter, Aleksandra, was born on July 15, 2004. Like her famous dad, Aleksandra has quite a sense of humor: She co-starred with him in a movie called 8 New Dates in 2014 and, also like her proud papa, once won a comedy contest.
Zelensky and Kiyashko's son Kyrylo was born on Jan. 21, 2013.