Who is Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine?

(CNN Spanish) — February 16 Olena Zelenska uploaded a photo to Instagram with her husband, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in which they wear casual clothes, cheerful, launching a social network challenge to its citizens on the Day of Unity of Ukraine. It was a call to celebrate the people of Ukraine despite their differences.

Little more than a week later, that gentle portrait of the president and first lady seems to be a postcard from a previous life, not only of them, but of all the Ukrainian people who are now suffering a deadly onslaught from Russia after the invasion.

Who is Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine?

She was born in Kryvyi Rih on February 16, 1978 (the day of the aforementioned Instagram photo Zelenska turned 44) ​​and it was at school that she met Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the Ukrainian Women’s Congress platform. She studied at the Kryvyi Rih Gymnasium №95 from 1985 to 1995.

He studied at the Economic Institute of his hometown and did a master’s degree in architecture that he completed in 2000. Three years later, on September 6, 2003, he married Zelensky and later the couple moved to the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian Women’s Congress.

Zelenska made a name for herself in the world of show and entertainment production after being one of the founders of Studio Kvartal 95, a production company for movies, series and shows. According to data from the Ukrainian Women’s Congress, Zelenska participated in the creation of the “Liga Smichu” programs, the film “How the Cossacks…” and the “Women’s Kvartal” project.

Inclusion and gender equality, bets of the first lady

Olena Zelenska came to office in April 2019 when Volodymyr Zelensky was elected president. At that time, her agenda was focused on humanitarian and social causes, as she commented in a September 2021 interview with Diplomatic Courier during a trip to Washington. A year later, the covid-19 pandemic became the urgent issue.

Photo taken at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv on April 19, 2019 shows Ukrainian presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena on the day of a presidential election debate with then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Credit: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images

Her approach against the pandemic, according to what was said in the interview with Diplomatic Courier, was aimed at preventing and combating domestic and gender violence, which according to her after covid-19 “was the number two health problem, which was doubled since the pandemic broke out.

He assured that he had covid-19 in 2020 and that it caused “moderate complications with pneumonia”.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron pose for a photo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska at the Elysee Palace in Paris on April 16, 2021. Credit: THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images

Other issues in which he has assumed leadership from his position are those related to gender equality, early childhood education and the inclusion of the Ukrainian language in the cultural offer of Europe.

She indicated that she pushed for Ukraine to join the International Equal Pay Coalition and her efforts in early childhood education are related to “breaking down barriers for girls in STEM education” (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, for its acronym in English). ).

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena during an audience at Buckingham Palace on October 7, 2020 in London, England. Credit: Jonathan Brady/WPA Pool/Getty Images

She has supported the Ukraine Paralympic team and is also recognized for leading the initiative to provide audio guides in Ukrainian at key historical and heritage sites around the world.

“Our nation and society have a rich history spanning centuries and we have contributed to the world in many ways. The arts and history are two of the most effective ways to highlight and connect cultures using soft power,” Zelenska told Diplomatic Courier.