Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and first lady Olena Zelenska posed for a Vogue photoshoot earlier this month. The couple appeared on the fashion magazine’s Instagram account on Wednesday, more than 150 days after Russia invaded Ukraine.
A total of five Ukraine-theme posts were uploaded by Vogue, in which the Zelenskys can be seen hugging each other and sitting across the table, holding hands. While one video was a behind-the-scenes shot, two posts were dedicated to Olena Zelenska.
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The 44-year-old Ukrainian first lady was seen wearing a navy blue coat and posing in front of the Antonov An-225 Mriya, an aircraft that was destroyed shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Another photo showed what seemed to be Vogue’s magazine cover featuring Zelenska. The photos were reportedly clicked by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz.
The post’s caption read: “Zelenska and her husband Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about life in wartime, their marriage and shared history, and the dreams for Ukraine’s future.”
Olena Zelenska travelled to the United States last week, stood in the US Capitol and made the case for more American air defense systems to block Russian missiles.
Zelenska also worked for Volodymyr Zelensky as a scriptwriter in his comedian days. The two got married in 2003. She has also spoken to Vogue previously, saying that her husband was “a non-public person” and she herself by nature was no teller of jokes, according to AP.
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The recent photoshoot has also sparked outrage across the world. Social media users have accused Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena of “romanticizing war.”
“Why did we send $54 billion to Ukraine, so Zelensky & his wife could pose for Vogue? You’re at war & you’ve got time for photo shoots?”, another user wrote, citing various aid packages that the US has approved for Ukraine.
