Olena Zelenska
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Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska (;
russian: Елена Владимировна Зеленская, , Elena Vladimirovna Zelenskaya, born 6 February 1978) is a Ukrainian architect and screenwriter who is the current
First Lady of Ukraine First Lady of Ukraine ( or ) is the unofficial title attributed to the wife of the president of Ukraine. List of first ladies of Ukraine '' days'' , , '' days'' ''()'' , - ! , , style="font-weight:bold" , Lyudmyla Kuchma , Mechanical e ...
as the wife of
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, ; russian: Владимир Александрович Зеленский, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelenskyy, (born 25 January 1978; also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy) is a Ukrainian politicia ...
.


Early life and career

Olena Kiyashko was born in
Kryvyi Rih Kryvyi Rih ( uk, Криви́й Ріг , lit. "Curved Bend" or "Crooked Horn"), also known as Krivoy Rog (Russian: Кривой Рог) is the largest city in central Ukraine, the 7th most populous city in Ukraine and the 2nd largest by area. Kr ...
on 6 February 1978. Her mother was the head engineer of a factory and her father taught construction at a technical university. Zelenska studied
architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
at
Kryvyi Rih National University Kryvyi Rih National University ''( uk, Криворізький національний університет)'', colloquially known as KNU ''( uk, КНУ)'' is located in Kryvyi Rih, one of the main industrial cities of Ukraine. Currently, its ...
. In 2003, she became a scriptwriter for
Kvartal 95 Kvartal 95 Studio (Ukrainian: Сту́дія «Кварта́л-95»; Russian: Сту́дия «Кварта́л-95») is a publicly held television entertainment production company operating in Ukraine since 2003. The company was founded by no ...
, working as part of a team drafting comedy sketches that her future husband and other cast members would perform.


First Lady of Ukraine

On 20 May 2019, Zelenska became the
First Lady of Ukraine First Lady of Ukraine ( or ) is the unofficial title attributed to the wife of the president of Ukraine. List of first ladies of Ukraine '' days'' , , '' days'' ''()'' , - ! , , style="font-weight:bold" , Lyudmyla Kuchma , Mechanical e ...
. On 18 November, she appeared on the cover of the December issue of the Ukrainian edition of ''
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...
''. In an interview with the magazine, she spoke about her first initiative, nutrition reform in Ukrainian schools. At Zelenska's initiative, the reform of the school nutrition system started with a new school menu developed by chef Ievgen Klopotenko of CultFood. The reform is a complex program: from improving the quality, nutrition of food, and food safety to the provision of resources to schools. The updated school menu has 160 items: it includes both traditional Ukrainian dishes and popular dishes from different cuisines of the world. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved new food standards, which took effect on 1 September 2021. In December 2019, during a speech at the third
Ukrainian Women's Congress Ukrainian Women's Congress (укр. Український Жіночий Конгрес) — is a permanent public platform that defines the gender policy agenda for the Ukrainian Parliament, government, local communities, private and public ...
, Zelenska initiated Ukraine's accession to the G7 international initiative on
gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...
, the
Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; Basque also ; oc, Biàrritz ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. ...
Partnership, which was finalized in September 2020. In November 2020 and September 2021, Zelenska spoke at the Fourth and Fifth
Ukrainian Women's Congress Ukrainian Women's Congress (укр. Український Жіночий Конгрес) — is a permanent public platform that defines the gender policy agenda for the Ukrainian Parliament, government, local communities, private and public ...
es, a platform that brings together Ukrainian and international public figures, politicians, government officials, experts, and opinion leaders for equal rights for women and men. On 13 January 2020, Volodymyr Zelenskyy included Olena on the board of the Art Arsenal, headed by
Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizati ...
Volodymyr Borodiansky. In June 2020, Zelenska started an initiative to spread the
Ukrainian language Ukrainian ( uk, украї́нська мо́ва, translit=ukrainska mova, label=native name, ) is an East Slavic language of the Indo-European language family. It is the native language of about 40 million people and the official state langu ...
in the world and the introduction of Ukrainian-language audio guides in the most iconic places, particularly in the largest museums in the world. As part of the initiative, 11 audio guides in Ukrainian were launched in 2020 in museums in
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
,
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
,
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, and
Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...
, as well as in two bus routes of
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
. In 2021, as part of Zelenska's initiative, Ukrainian-language audio guides were launched at the museum of
Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...
(the home of
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
), the
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco. The permanent collection of the ...
in
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,
Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
, the
Sagrada Família The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, shortened as the Sagrada Família, is an unfinished church in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. Designed by ...
,
Frederiksborg Castle Frederiksborg Castle ( da, Frederiksborg Slot) is a palatial complex in Hillerød, Denmark. It was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway in the early 17th century, replacing an older castle acquired by Frederick II ...
, the
Hundertwasserhaus The Hundertwasserhaus ("Hundertwasser house") is an apartment house in Vienna, Austria, built after the idea and concept of Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Outline This expressionist landmark of Vienna is located in the Landstr ...
,
Galata Tower The Galata Tower ( tr, Galata Kulesi), officially the Galata Kulesi Museum ( tr, Galata Kulesi Müzesi), is an old Genoese tower in the Galata part of the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. Built as a watchtower at the highest point of the ( ...
, and the
Museum of Anatolian Civilizations The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations ( tr, Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi) is located on the south side of Ankara Castle in the Atpazarı area in Ankara, Turkey. It consists of the old Ottoman Mahmut Paşa bazaar storage building, and the Kurş ...
. Zelenska launched an online questionnaire in May 2020 about creating a barrier-free society, in partnership with the
Ministry of Digital Transformation The Ministry of Digital Transformation ( uk, Міністерство цифрової трансформації України) is a government ministry in Ukraine that was established on 29 August 2019 when Mykhailo Fedorov was appointed as Mi ...
and the
Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine The Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine ( uk, Міністерство соціальної політики України, translit=Ministerstvo sotsialnoi polityky Ukrainy), formerly the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, is the Ukrainian g ...
. In December 2020, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and
United Nations Development Program The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
in Ukraine said that they would create a convenient catalog of services for vulnerable groups as part of Zelenska's "Without Barriers" initiative, to be posted on the state portal "Action" in the category "Action. Without barriers." Zelenska initiated the Kyiv Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen in August 2021, with a theme of "Soft power in new reality". After the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
, Zelenska was described as Russia's target number two. In mid-March, she was in Ukraine at an undisclosed location. She released a statement highlighting the names of children killed during the invasion. During the war, her efforts have focused on humanitarian aid, especially the evacuation of children with disabilities through Poland and the importing of incubators to hospitals in warzone areas. Zelenska made her first public appearance since the start of the invasion in a 8 May 2022 meeting with
Jill Biden Jill Tracy Jacobs Biden (born June 3, 1951) is an American educator and the current first lady of the United States since 2021, as the wife of President Joe Biden. She was the second lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017 when her hus ...
in
Uzhhorod Uzhhorod ( uk, У́жгород, , ; ) is a city and municipality on the river Uzh in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. The city is approximately equidistant from the Baltic, the Adriatic and the B ...
. Biden's trip to Ukraine, which coincided with Mother's Day as celebrated in the US and in Ukraine, was not publicly disclosed in advance. In September 2022, Zelenska was present as an invitee to
Ursula von der Leyen Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (; Albrecht, born 8 October 1958) is a German politician who has been serving as the president of the European Commission since 2019. She served in the Cabinet of Germany, German federal government between 2005 an ...
's third State of the European Union address, where the EU Commission President rendered homage to her courage during the war in Ukraine. On 2 October 2022, Zelenska visited Turkey, where she discussed the evacuation of Ukrainian orphans to Turkey with Turkish first lady
Emine Erdoğan Emine Erdoğan (; ; born 16 February 1955) is the current first lady of Turkey, and the wife of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Family and education Early life Emine Erdoğa, was born as Cemal and Hayriye Gülbaran’s fifth child and only daug ...
, met
ecumenical patriarch The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...
Bartholomew I of Constantinople Bartholomew I ( el, Βαρθολομαῖος Αʹ, , tr, I. Bartholomeos; born 29 February 1940) is the 270th archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, since 2 November 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the ''pr ...
, and launched the Ukrainian corvette ''Hetman Ivan Mazepa''. She was honored as one of the
BBC 100 Women ''100 Women'' is a BBC multi-format series established in 2013. The annual series examines the role of women in the 21st century and has included events in London and Mexico. Announcement of the list is the start of an international "BBC's women ...
in December 2022.


2022 visit to the United States

On 19 July 2022, Zelenska started her visit to the United States. On the first day of the visit, Zelenska met with the US Secretary of State
Antony Blinken Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American government official and diplomat serving as the 71st United States secretary of state since January 26, 2021. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and ...
, and
Samantha Power Samantha Jane Power (born September 21, 1970) is an American journalist, diplomat and government official who is currently serving as the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development. She previously served as the 28th ...
, the Administrator of the
United States Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...
. On the second day of the visit, she held a meeting with the first lady of the United States,
Jill Biden Jill Tracy Jacobs Biden (born June 3, 1951) is an American educator and the current first lady of the United States since 2021, as the wife of President Joe Biden. She was the second lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017 when her hus ...
, at the White House. Zelenska was also met on the porch of the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
by US President Joe Biden and Vice President
Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...
. During the event, the National Program of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, the implementation of which started in Ukraine, was discussed. Zelenska also addressed the
US Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washingto ...
on the second day of her visit, becoming the first First Lady of another country to speak before the US Congress. She called for more military aid to the
Ukrainian Armed Forces , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country=Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly known ...
to protect the country from Russian invasion. Zelenska dedicated the beginning of her speech to the families and children impacted by the
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
. One of the images included was of a four-year-old Liza Dmytriyeva, who was killed in an air strike in the central-western city of Vinnytsia. Zelenska also showed photos and videos of the victims of the
Kremenchuk shopping mall attack On 27 June 2022, the Russian Armed Forces fired two Kh-22 anti-ship missiles into central Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, hitting the Amstor shopping mall and the Kredmash road machinery plant. A fire broke out and the attack killed at least 20 ...
and other numerous victims of Russian invasion. During the trip, Zelenska also accepted the Dissident Human Rights Award at the
Victims of Communism Memorial The Victims of Communism Memorial is a memorial in Washington, D.C. located at the intersection of Massachusetts and New Jersey Avenues and G Street, NW, two blocks from Union Station and within view of the U.S. Capitol. The memorial is dedica ...
in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
on behalf of the entire Ukrainian people.


Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

On 19 September 2022, Zelenska attended the
state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
of
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
to pay her respects to the late monarch "on behalf of all Ukrainians".


Personal life

Zelenska and her future husband were schoolmates, though they did not know each other at that time. They became acquainted much later- during their time at university. The relationship between the couple developed gradually; they dated for eight years before getting married on 6 September 2003. On 15 July 2004, their daughter Oleksandra was born. On 21 January 2013, Kiyashko (now Zelenska) gave birth to their son Kyrylo. Although Volodymyr Zelensky is a secular Jew, his two children with his
Gentile Gentile () is a word that usually means "someone who is not a Jew". Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, sometimes use the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is generally used as a synonym for ...
(non-Jewish) wife have been
baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
, according to press reports. The family lives in Kyiv. Zelenska was hospitalized for observation on 16 June 2020 after testing positive for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. The infection was described as "moderate severity" that did not need
mechanical ventilation Mechanical ventilation, assisted ventilation or intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV), is the medical term for using a machine called a ventilator to fully or partially provide artificial ventilation. Mechanical ventilation helps move air ...
.Ukraine president's wife hospitalized with moderate COVID-19
,
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...
(16 June 2020)
She was discharged from the hospital on 3 July 2020 with continued domestic treatment for
bilateral pneumonia Pneumonia can be classified in several ways, most commonly by where it was acquired (hospital versus community), but may also by the area of lung affected or by the causative organism. There is also a combined clinical classification, which combi ...
.


See also

* Olena Zelenska Foundation


Notes


References


External links


Official site
* * * ''Interview'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Zelenska, Olena 1978 births Living people 20th-century Ukrainian women writers 21st-century Ukrainian women writers Eastern Orthodox Christians from Ukraine Family of Volodymyr Zelenskyy First Ladies of Ukraine Kryvyi Rih National University alumni Mass media people from Kryvyi Rih Ukrainian screenwriters Women screenwriters BBC 100 Women