Meet Olena Zelenska, Ukraine’s first lady

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has impacted the world and has added a spotlight on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his family. Olena Zelenska is his wife and Ukraine’s first lady, someone who’s become a source of inspiration over the past few days.

Olena Zelenska has been using her platform to call for unity and peace amidst threats from the Russian government. “According to the information we have, the enemy has marked me as target No. 1, my family as target No. 2,” said President Zelenskyy while addressing the Ukrainian people. “They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state.” While Olena’s current location is unknown, it’s believed she’s located somewhere in Ukraine alongside her husband and children, Sasha and Cyril.

Her choice to stay by her husband has earned her respect and love from people all over the world, who praise her bravery and commitment to her values. “And today I will not have panic and tears. I will be calm and confident. My children are looking at me. I will be next to them. And next to my husband. And together with you,” she wrote on an Instagram post.

Olena and her husband married before politics were involved in any part of their futures. The two met while working in the entertainment industry. While President Zelenskyy was a comedian and TV personality, Olena was a scriptwriter.

In an interview with Vogue she discussed balancing her work life with her personal life and why her husband’s decision to run for office was a bit difficult to manage. “I realized how everything would change, and what difficulties we would have to face,” she said. And while she and her husband lead more public lives now due to their duties, the privacy of their children is still a priority for her. “I have not posted their photos on social networks before, and now I will not either,” she said.