Olena Zelenska, 47, is the First Lady of Ukraine. Here are key facts about her biography and contributions.

In honor of Elena Zelenska's birthday, Novini.LIVE has prepared a selection of facts from her biography.

Interesting Facts About Elena Zelenska’s Biography

1. Elena Zelenska's maiden name is Kiyashko.
2. By education, the First Lady of the country is an architect. She graduated from the construction faculty of Kryvyi Rih Technical University, but has never worked in her specialty.
3. Elena met Volodymyr Zelensky while they were still in school, as they studied in parallel classes. However, they only started dating after graduating from high school and enrolling in universities.
4. Before their marriage, Elena dated the future President of Ukraine for eight years. During that time, the couple did not live together. They got married in 2003. In 2004, the couple welcomed their daughter Oleksandra, and in 2013, their son Kyrylo was born.
5. For a long time, Elena was a screenwriter for the "Kvartal-95" studio. She worked on projects such as "Laugh the Comedian," "Evening Kyiv," "Evening Quarter," and "Women's Quarter."
6. Elena learned about Volodymyr Zelensky's intention to run for president not from him directly, but through the internet. She supported her husband's decision, knowing that trying to dissuade him would be futile.
7. Even before the full-scale invasion in 2021, Elena Zelenska, along with chef Yevhen Klopotenko, introduced a reform in school nutrition to make children's diets more diverse and tasty. Now, students are served meals based on this updated menu.
8. In July 2022, Elena Zelenska became the first foreign First Lady in U.S. history to address Congress. During her speech, she urged Americans to provide more military assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
9. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Elena Zelenska has been actively helping those in difficult life circumstances. She has consolidated her social projects into the First Lady's Foundation, which focuses on three areas: healthcare, education, and humanitarian aid.
10. The First Lady loves animals. The Zelenska family currently has a dog, a cat, a parrot, and a hamster. They used to have two dogs, but recently their 14-year-old Swiss shepherd, Nora, passed away.

As a reminder, in January, Elena Zelenska visited the opening of a shelter in a kindergarten in the Odesa region. At that time, she noted that they plan to set up seven more bomb shelters soon: in Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

We also reported that the Zelensky couple visited a hospital. The head of state, along with the First Lady, visited wounded soldiers who participated in combat operations in the hottest areas of the front.