Ukraine’s First Lady - Olena Zelenska Biography: Birth, Age, Family, Early Life, Education, Career, and More

Olena Zelenska Biography: Olena Zelenska is a screenwriter, the First Lady of Ukraine, and the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. She is the mother of two children, Aleksandra and Kirill. She has been by the side of Volodymyr Zelensky, her husband, who has been leading the fight against Russia from the frontline. 

A few days ago, Volodymyr Zelensky's family came into the spotlight when Zelensky said that their enemy had marked them as "target number 2" and was following him. In Ukraine, for the first lady, there is no formal office, but Zelenska has carved out a role as the war progressed.

Olena Zelenska: Launched a Telegram channel 

Zelenska posted a few days ago, as Russia attacked Ukraine, "Today, I will not panic or (shed) tears. I will be calm and confident. My kids are watching me. I will stand by them, by the side of my husband and together with you." 

Zelenska launched a Telegram channel to provide verified information to residents on communication and traffic movements, how to help war efforts, how to evacuate, and how to get psychological support, among others. 

At the launch of the communication channel, she said, "How to Live During Wartime? These days, we all have many questions. I would like to help as much as I can. So I am starting a special Telegram channel with verified answers. "

Recently, in a video message on Instagram, she said that "First Ladies across the world are asking her how they can help Ukraine. My answer is: tell the truth to the world! Speak up! What is happening in Ukraine is not a 'special military operation', as Putin says, but a full-scale war, where the aggressor is the Russian Federation. "

Ukraine's First Lady said, "Ukraine does not need to be rescued. But we need support from the world for our army and civilians. Not just in words."

Now, take at the first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelensky's early life, family, education, career, etc.

Olena Zelenska: Key Facts

Olena Zelensk Biography: Early Life, Family, Marriage, Children, Education

She was born in February 1978 in Kryvyi Rih, which was an industrial city in central Ukraine. She pursued architecture at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at Kryvyi Rih National University. She also became a writer for Kvartal 95. Olena and her husband, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, met at the university for the first time, despite their having crossed over at school and having mutual friends. At that time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a comedian and a law student.

Gradually, the relationship between the couple developed, and after dating for about eight years, they married in September 2003. Both the couples have two children, one daughter, Aleksandra, and one son, Kirill.

One of the founders of Kvartal 95, or Studio Quarter 95, was Zelensky. It was a leading provider of entertainment TV content in the country. He got Olena on board as the scriptwriter. Zelensky said, "Our ambitious objective is to make the world a better place, a kinder and more joyful place with the help of those tools that we have, that is humour and creativity. We are moving towards this goal, trying to conquer the whole world, of course."

"Servant of the People" was one of the studio's best shows, and Zelenska was one of the writers for the show. Zelenska, being the first lady, kept going to the office at Kvartal 95 to generate stories. Zelenska told Vogue, "I write the scripts as before. However, now you need to divide your day between the President’s Office and the ‘Quarter’, and follow the timing."

Olena Zelenska: First lady of Ukraine Works and Life

Once, in an interview with Vogue magazine, she spoke about her first initiative: nutrition reform in Ukraine. Reform of school nutrition started with a new school menu developed by Chef Levgen Klopotenko for CultFood. The reform includes improving the quality, nutrition of food and food safety, and also the provision of resources to schools. New food standards were approved by the Cabinet Ministers of Ukraine and came into effect on 1 September 2021.

During a speech at the third Ukrainian Women's Congress in December 2019, she initiated Ukraine's accession to the G7 international initiative on gender equality, the Biarritz Partnership, which was finalised in September 2020. She spoke at the Fourth and Fifth Ukrainian Women's Congresses (November 2020 and September 2020) about a platform that brings together Ukrainian and international public figures, politicians, government officials, experts, and opinion leaders for equal rights for women and men.

Volodymyr Zelensky included Olena on the board of the Art Arsenal, headed by Minister of Culture Volodymyr Borodiansky, on 13 January 2020. Olena launched an initiative in June 2020 to spread the Ukrainian language around the world by introducing Ukrainian language audio guides in the world's most iconic locations, primarily the world's largest museums. As part of this initiative, about 11 audio guides in Ukraine were launched in 2020. In 2021, also as part of her initiative, Ukrainian-language audio guides were also launched at various museums.

At the initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska, the Ministry of Digital Transformation launched the Diia. Bezbaryernist (Barrier-free life) project. This is for those sections of people who need help the most. These are the elderly, people with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, people with limited mobility, and others. She also initiated the Kyiv Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen in August 2021. The theme was "Soft power in new reality".

Some of the details of her post:

She shared in a social media post that she started eating healthy after the birth of her daughter when she, like various women, turned out to be a little heavier and wider than before. She also wrote, "I decided that regular sports will quickly fix things, and I will look in the mirror again with pleasure. I didn’t change my diet and ate everything I wanted. After a year, I was tired of working out and had lost motivation and some weight."

In one of her posts, she celebrated the passing of a bill by the parliament that allowed men to get an additional 14-day paid leave for three months after the birth of their child. She said this, "Personally, I have been waiting for this bill to be passed. This is the first important legislative step for the development of responsible parenting in Ukraine. " 

Olena Zelenska's role during the War

As the war continues, Zelenska has been drawing attention towards women and children. She posted on her Instagram page that, "Ukrainians have to take their children to the basement every night and fight the enemy beneath the walls of their homes. Ukraine is a peaceful country. We are against war and did not attack first. But, we are not going to give up. The whole world, look: We are fighting for peace in your countries as well." Her two children, Aleksandra, and Kirill, are among the most vulnerable in Ukraine. It was announced by the President that "the enemy has marked me down as the number one target”. “My family is the number two target." 

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