Women are those who lift the spirit and morale of the nation in difficult times. In the past, these were the wife of the American president Anna Eleanor Roosevelt or the wife of the British prime minister Clementine Churchill. Today, the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska has joined their ranks. When Russia invaded Ukraine, she became Putin's second most important target, just behind her husband.
An architecture and screenwriting graduate, she never longed for the role of first lady. When her husband became the president of Ukraine, she remained in the background, only stepping out of his shadow when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and she was thrust into the center of the whirlwind that is this tragedy. From the position of the most influential Ukrainian woman, she fights for the people of her nation as well as for education reform and human rights. She also instigated Ukraine's accession to the G7 global gender equality initiative. She has been advocating for the addition of Ukrainian to audio guides in major museums around the world. The confident and determined first lady of Ukraine hasn't been hiding from the public in times of war but has rather stood beside her husband and her nation. Given the current situation, she doesn't have much of a choice, so her voice can be heard anywhere it might be of help.
She managed the role of first lady impeccably
Intelligent, inconspicuous, and in her husband's shadow, that's how she was before the war broke out. The Russian invasion changed everything, thrusting her into an active role in current affairs. Her first appearance was her meeting with the US First Lady Jill Biden during an unannounced visit to western Ukraine. Next was her remote participation in the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano, Switzerland, and personal attendance at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. Olena Zelenska has entered the field of diplomacy as well. She says that the war has set Ukraine back decades and put a stop to any and all reforms. She states that "despite assurances from Kremlin-backed propaganda outlets who are calling the invasion a 'special operation' – it is, in fact, the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians."
Mother of the nation
Zelenska has been actively supporting her war-torn land and its people every day in more ways than just on social media. Closest to her heart are children, the most innocent victims of war; she has been a strong proponent of providing them with healthy food and a supportive environment. She herself has two children with her husband Volodymyr. Zelenska also supports other social groups. Due to the shelling of Ukrainian cities, the populace is dealing with energy blackouts, food and medicine shortages, and a lack of access to healthcare, primarily for cancer patients, other sick citizens, and the elderly. As she stated: "War against these innocent people is a double crime."
Worst months of her life
In a speech at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Olena Zelenska called on delegates to do more to bring about the end of the war in Ukraine. She stressed that "unity brings peace back." Only global cooperation can ensure that the lives of people all over the world aren't ruined. The war keeps spreading, and if Ukraine loses, so does the civilized world. "Russian aggression was never intended to restrict itself to the Ukrainian borders, this work will go further and make the crisis wider if the aggressor does not lose," she pressed on. "How will [the world] achieve climate neutrality if they have not even stopped the burning of entire cities in Ukraine? That's what Russia does with its artillery, missiles, Iranian drones," she said. Zelenska also stated her intention to hand the Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He a letter for President Xi Jinping with proposals on how to end the war between Russia and Ukraine drafted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian president presented his ten-point plan in November last year during a video speech to G20 leaders. The plan outlines the need for Russian armies to withdraw from Ukraine's territory entirely and the establishment of a special tribunal for war crimes committed by the Russians on Ukraine's people. The Ukrainian first lady described living in wartime to the media as the worst months in the lives of all Ukrainians, including her own. And it is her nation that inspires her the most. Her words: "We're looking forward to victory. We have no doubt we will prevail. And this is what keeps us going," reverberate around the world.
CV BOX
Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska (born February 6, 1978, in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine) is a scriptwriter and the current first lady of Ukraine as the wife of Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
She graduated from the Kryvyi Rih Technical University with a major in architecture. However, she started writing for Studio Kvartal 95 and subsequently became a scriptwriter. It was for this studio that she wrote the “Vecherniy Kvartal” political satire show in 2005, which Volodymyr Zelenskyy played a role in.
Her more recent work was on the docuseries “Ukraine on Fire 2” and the documentary “Zelenskyy: Spirit of Ukraine”.
Olena met Volodymyr during her studies at university. They married in 2003 after eight years of being together. Their daughter Oleksandra was born a year later and they had their son Kyrylo in 2013.
HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE
Olena Zelenska is an advocate for human rights and the equality of women. She gave a video speech at a UN conference on human rights violations in Ukraine, urging delegates to hold Russia accountable for the crimes against humanity that Russian soldiers have been committing in her country. And she asked more than once, quite justifiably, that the UN establish a special tribunal. It would ultimately try Russia for its aggression against Ukraine to make sure nothing similar happens in the future. Zelenska also pleaded with the democratic world to close the Ukrainian airspace, saying: "Close the sky, and we will manage the war on the ground ourselves." Furthermore, she pointed out that, "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." Olena Zelenska reminds us that the Ukrainian conflict is not a special operation but rather a war on European territory that is sure to spill beyond EU borders.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy with his wife Olena in April 2019, a month before his victory in the presidential election.
Olena Zelenska with American President Joe Biden, his wife Jill Biden, American Vice President Kamala Harris, and Doug Emhoff.
reklama
