Interesting facts about Olena Zelenska on the fifth anniversary of presidential inauguration – photos
Pravda Ukraine
Five years ago, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was inaugurated, and he officially became Ukraine’s sixth president, and his wife, Olena Zelenska, became the country’s youngest First Lady in the country’s entire independent history.
She did not want to connect her life with politics and government work. Back in 2019, she wanted to stay in the shadows and do screenwriting. However, life has made its own adjustments.
Source: TabloID has collected the most interesting facts about the first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska
Not an architect but a screenwriter
Olena Zelenska, 46, whose maiden name is Kyiashko, was born and raised in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. She entered the Civil Engineering Department of a local university and graduated with a degree in architecture but did not work in the profession.
Instead, Olena began writing comedy scripts in her final years of study, defended her diploma, and went on tour. Together with her husband, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the current president of Ukraine, she worked for Ukraineʼs television entertainment production company, Kvartal 95 Studio, where she was involved in top projects.
In an interview with the BBC in 2019, Zelenska noted that she likes and enjoys this job and would like to continue doing it after her husband wins the election.
Unexpected news from the internet
Like everyone else, Olena Zelenska found out about her husband’s plans to connect his life with politics and run for president of Ukraine on the internet. She recalled that the family was on holiday, celebrating 2019, and she was shocked by the messages on the morning of 1 January.
Zelenska foresaw this decision and understood that dissuading her husband was useless. When she determined the full depth of his intentions, she calmed down.
Strong student love
Olena and Volodymyr studied at the same school in parallel classes, so they knew each other in absentia. But their relationship began in the student years. Zelenska recalled that a chance meeting on the street once brought them together.
They were dating for the next eight years. Volodymyr was in no hurry with the proposal, and Olena herself did not speed up events. She says there was talk about a wedding, but in the “once upon a time” format.
The couple got married in 2003. Together, they had a daughter, Oleksandra, and a son, Kyrylo. The man won the heart of his beloved with his frankness and ability to keep his word, not to promise what he could not do.
Phobia of cycling
After accepting the new presidential status in 2019, the Zelenski family tried not to change their habits. This includes sports, which used to be a big part of the couple’s life. The joint activity allowed them to discharge emotionally and, at the same time, recharge for a new working day.
Olena loved going to the gym and swimming pool with her husband, but she didn’t share his passion for cycling, although she really wanted to try it. The fact is that the current First Lady of Ukraine has a slight phobia of a two-wheeled vehicle due to injuries received earlier.
The role of the First Lady
Despite her desire to remain in the shadows and continue to engage in screenwriting, Olena Zelenska did not succeed. The inauguration of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took place on 20 May 2019. After that, she took on completely different responsibilities.
The newly-minted first lady initially chose three areas for her work: improving school meals, cultural diplomacy, and domestic work. She accompanied her husband during work trips and established friendly relations with other first ladies, particularly Brigitte Macron.
Cleaning as a meditation
The full-scale war has become a new challenge for Olena Zelenska, as well as for all Ukrainians. Since February 2022, Zelenska has been fully committed to her political work. In particular, she pays considerable attention to mental health and initiates programmes to train relevant specialists.
In an interview with The Village in 2023, Olena Zelenska spoke about her habits that help her distract herself. It turned out that these are ordinary household activities, such as cleaning and washing dishes.
The first lady says that to clean her head, she first cleans everything around her. Washing dishes calms her down. Wet hands do not allow her to pick up the phone.
Avoiding social media
During her husband’s election campaign and after, Olena Zelenska faced hate and even abuse on social media. Various users began to write baseless, angry comments to her, which made her heart race. She didn’t understand why this was happening and tried not to read, but her hands kept reaching for the phone.
The full-scale invasion changed the situation, and for the sake of security, it was necessary to turn off all gadgets and forget about them for a while. Now, Zelenska сompletely does not use social media at all. She says she only writes and approves posts but does not read comments.
Love for Ukrainian brands
Olena Zelenska can be called an ambassador for Ukrainian brands. Back in 2021, she explained that fashion helps to establish cultural ties between countries. The Ukrainian specialised industry is a large industry that provides jobs to hundreds of thousands of employees.
For example, for one of the recent official visits to Serbia, the first lady selected a stylish suit from Ukrainian brand A.M.G. Its special feature is the wide lapel of the jacket, from the collar to the bottom.
By the way, Olena Zelenska does not shy away from appearing in the same outfit several times. She was previously at a meeting in Sweden in the costume mentioned above. In addition, the First Lady of Ukraine loves vyshyvanka. [A vyshyvanka is a traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt, part of Ukrainian national dress – ed.]
Olena Zelenska continues her state work today. At the same time, she tries to be just a mom.
Support UP or become our patron!