The actress of the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater admitted that when she bought real estate before the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the aggressor country of the Russian Federation, she considered the proximity to the President’s Office an advantage.
“I live literally next to the President’s Office. Once upon a time, on holidays, my son and I went out onto the balcony and watched parades. I saw presidents more than once – cars were constantly running, bringing flowers, paintings, gifts. I was always aware of who was going where, with whom,” she said.
According to Smorodina, after the start of a full-scale war, everything changed.
“It’s not very comfortable to live here now – everything is blocked by checkpoints, [украинского президента Владимира] I don't see Zelensky. Only when I’m walking – the windows are lit, some cars are parked – it means the delegation has arrived again,” she added.
Context
Zelensky officially took office President of Ukraine on May 20, 2019. Before that, he was the head of the Kvartal 95 studio, and his wife was a screenwriter on this project.
After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, the First Lady of Ukraine Elena Zelenskaya remained in Ukraine with her children.
In September 2023, in an interview with the BBC, Zelenskaya said that because of the war, their family was divided and she and her children now live separately from her husband.
