Olena Zelenska was born in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, in 1978, the year leading up to the height of the Soviet Union’s global power. She met her future husband – Volodymyr Zelensky, who would go on to become the president of Ukraine – at Kryvyi Rih National University, where she studied architecture. The couple married in 2003 after dating for eight years. While Zelensky had no political experience before being elected into office in 2019, in recent days he has been increasingly described as a convincing war leader. How Armani paid tribute to Ukraine with a silent Milan Fashion Week finale Now, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the 44-year-old Zelenska has taken on the role of the first lady of a country at war. The Office of the President of Ukraine did not immediately respond to comment for this story – but here’s what we do know about the Ukrainian first lady. The couple has two children: Aleksandra, 17, and Kiril, nine The family has not been reunited since the beginning of the invasion in late February. Zelenska and their children are currently in hiding, and the Ukrainian president has only seen them for two days so far, Zelenskyy said in an interview with The Independent . 5 Hollywood stars you probably didn’t know were Ukrainian Zelenska is fiercely private, and not much is known about the family. She had reportedly “aggressively opposed” her husband’s plans to join politics, as she did not enjoy the limelight. “I prefer staying backstage. My husband is always on the forefront, while I feel more comfortable in the shade,” Zelenska told Vogue Ukraine in November 2019. Zelenska is a professional comedy writer, a role she has not given up even since becoming Ukraine’s first lady Zelenska is a screenwriter for Kvartal 95 Studio, a production company her husband founded in 2003. As a screenwriter, she wrote for the comedy group that made Zelensky into a celebrity in Ukraine. As an actor and comedian, Zelensky rose to fame by playing a spoof politician in the TV series Servant of the People – before becoming the county’s most important politician himself. She’s also an advocate for notable causes Zelenska is an advocate for causes like children’s nutrition and the fight against domestic violence. Some of Zelenska’s most notable projects include initiating Ukraine into the Biarritz Partnership in December 2019, which was the G7’s international initiative on gender equality. As Ukraine continues to dominate the 2020 news cycle, here's First Lady Olena Zelenska on three covers of the December issue of Ukrainian Vogue pic.twitter.com/tPMbSGs7eV — Katerina Ang (@katerinareports) November 11, 2019 She also introduced legislation about improving nutritional food in Ukrainian schools and promoting the Ukrainian language in June 2020. One of Zelenska’s goals was to “modernise the school feeding system”, per Unicef. Paris Fashion Week 2022: Balmain’s call for peace and truth through fashion “I’m going to grab onto everything, it won’t work, so our team decided to focus on specific tasks: children’s health, equal opportunities for all Ukrainians and cultural diplomacy,” she said in the Vogue Ukraine interview. Zelenska has established herself as a fashion icon and champion of Ukrainian designers Zelenska intentionally chooses to wear clothes made by Ukrainian designers on her diplomatic trips abroad, according to People . “I am pleased when they ask me in New York or Paris who is the designer of my outfit. And they do ask me,” she told Vogue Ukraine . “And it wouldn’t be as exciting to name a major Western brand, which they already know there, but how nice it is to promote Ukrainian designers to the world.” “I truly believe in soft power and cultural diplomacy. It is a part of that power, which is important for Ukraine,” she told Diplomatic Courier in September 2021. Meet Honey Lee, the multitalented Korean star expecting her first child Zelenska has been using social media to encourage Ukrainians to remain resilient View this post on Instagram A post shared by Володимир Зеленський (@zelenskiy_official) Zelenska has 2.3 million followers on Instagram, where she shares photos of her initiatives and leisure time with her family. She recently posted a video of Ukraine during the Russian invasion, with the caption: “We are against the war and did not attack first. But we are not going to give up. The whole world, look: we are fighting for peace in your countries as well.” The video garnered over one million views. “Today I will not have panic and tears. I will be calm and confident,” she wrote in Ukrainian on Instagram in February, as translated by The Washington Post . “My children are looking at me. I will be next to them. And next to my husband. And with you,” she added. This article originally appeared on Insider . Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .