Olena Zelenska

Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska (née Kiyashko; born 6 February 1978) is a Ukrainian screenwriter who is the current First Lady of Ukraine as the wife of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenska was named by Time as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2023.

Olena Kyiashko was born on 6 February 1978 in Kryvyi Rih, Soviet Ukraine.

She studied at Kryvyi Rih Gymnasium № 95, where she met her future husband, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In 2000, she graduated from Kryvyi Rih Technical University, majoring in "Urban and Construction Management", receiving a specialist diploma.

She also graduated from a music school with a piano class.

In 2003, she and Zelenskyy married.

Olena and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are the parents of two children: daughter Oleksandra (born on 15 July 2004) and son Kyrylo (born on 21 January 2013).

The family has several pets: two dogs, a cat, a parrot and a guinea pig.

Zelenska enjoys sports, likes to read and is a fan of cinematography.

The family lives in Kyiv.

Olena Zelenska has been a scriptwriter for Kvartal 95 since its foundation.

The social activities of the First Lady of Ukraine before the war had three main directions: the health of future generations, equal opportunities and cultural diplomacy.

Olena Zelenska initiated such projects as the improvement of the school food system and the development of the National Strategy for a safe school environment, the fight against domestic and gender based violence, the barrier-free environment, and the introduction of audio guides in Ukrainian museums around the world.

On December 3, 2020, the President signed the Decree “On ensuring the creation of a barrier-free space in Ukraine”.

At the initiative of the First Lady, the National Barrier-Free Strategy—standards of equal opportunities for all population groups—was adopted, as well as the Action Plan for overcoming barriers—a road map for each department—was developed.

On January 13, 2020, she became a member of the Development Council of the Mystetskyi Arsenal National Art and Culture Museum Complex.

On September 11, 2020, at the initiative of the President's wife, Ukraine joined the Biarritz Partnership, undertaking commitments in the areas of gender equality and the development of barrier-free public space.

In 2021, a large-scale reform of school meals took place.

A new full-fledged 4-week menu was presented, the modernization of food storage facilities began, and the behavioral communication campaign of UNICEF in Ukraine on healthy nutrition for children and parents was launched.

As part of the initiative of the First Lady of Ukraine, more than 50 audio guides in the Ukrainian language have already been launched in the best cultural institutions in more than 30 countries.

The project started in 2020.

On August 23, 2021, the First Kyiv Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen took place in Kyiv at the initiative of Olena Zelenska.

Eleven first ladies from different countries joined the event.

The main topic of discussion was the post-COVID reality.

At the end of the event, the participants approved a joint declaration.

The purpose of the summits is to unite the first ladies and gentlemen for the purpose of creating an international platform to share experience and implement joint projects for the well-being of people in the world; to discuss the current problems and activities of the first ladies and gentlemen to solve them; to make the voice of every first lady and gentleman more influential.

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, 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 in Uzhhorod.

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.

At the initiative of the First Lady, projects in the field of medicine are being developed: evacuation of children with severe cancer diseases abroad with further treatment there, the search for equipment for children's hospitals, in particular, incubators for newborns.

In the humanitarian sphere, Olena Zelenska takes care of sending orphans for a long-term stay abroad.

The First Lady also oversees humanitarian aid to family-type orphanages, large families, and elderly people who have remained and live in the liberated territories to reinforce the connection with the Homeland for forcibly displaced people, the First Lady initiated the project “Books without borders”.

260,000 books in Ukrainian were printed for children who left their homes due to Russian aggression and found shelter in 20 countries.

The project “Ukrainian bookshelf” is being carried out under the patronage of the First Lady.

It provides for the distribution of Ukrainian literature and its translations in the world's leading libraries.

More than 20 countries have already joined the initiative.