Olena Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, tells how the family lives in the middle of war.
President of Ukraine to Volodymyr Zelensky wife Olena Zelenska says in an extremely personal interview For the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC this week, how the war has affected his life and that of his family.
– This might be a bit selfish, but I need my husband by my side, not a historical figure, Zelenska says in an interview.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Olena Zelenska and the family’s children spent months hiding “underground”.
He describes his emotional state at the beginning of the attack as “a constant rush of adrenaline”.
– However, over time it was necessary to calm down and start living in the existing conditions, says Zelenska.
The boy misses his father
Previously, Olena Zelenska protected her own and her children’s privacy. The war changed everything. Olena Zelenska came into the spotlight and since the Russian attack, she has traveled around the world, met the leaders of different countries and given numerous speeches.
– We don’t live together with my husband, the family lives separately. We have the opportunity to see each other, but not as often as we would like. My son misses his father, Olena Zelenska tells the BBC.
Zelenska mourns the impact of the war on her children’s emotional life, dreams and youth.
– It hurts to watch when my children don’t plan anything. My daughter is 19. She has no chance to dream about traveling or other dreams of her youth, Zelenska sighs.
Uncertainty about the future
According to Zelenska, Ukrainians cannot be sure of tomorrow or trust the future in general.
– We have great hope for victory, but we don’t know when it will come. Constant stress takes its toll, he states.
Olena Zelenska and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi already met in high school. They fell in love and then worked in a comedy group and TV studio – Volodymyr as an actor and Olena as a screenwriter.
Olena Zelenska never thought that her husband would become a historical figure.
Still, she strongly believes that the president, her husband, has the energy, willpower and stubbornness to see the war through.
– I believe in him and support him. I know he has enough strength. He is a really strong and tenacious person, Zelenska describes President Zelensky to the BBC.
The task is to support the Ukrainians in their survival
In her work as the president’s spouse, Zelenska has focused on helping Ukrainians cope with the psychological effects of the war. Now she is preparing to host an event focused on mental health in Kyiv.
Zelenska hopes that by her own example she could give hope and prove that you have to live and move forward regardless of everything.
– No one can know what awaits them. After all, no one could have imagined that a bloody and brutal war would break out in the middle of Europe in the 21st century, he states.
Zelenska says that she could never have imagined herself in such a role as she is now.