"Not the right vibe": Volodymyr Zelenskyy and wife, Olena Zelenska under fire for wartime Vogue photoshoot

On July 26, Vogue released its digital cover, which featured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's wife, Olena Zelenska. In the cover profile, the President and the First Lady both commented on how the outcome of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has affected their country.

In the interview with Vogue's Rachel Donadio, the First Lady said:

"These have been the most horrible months of my life, and the lives of every Ukrainian. Frankly I don't think anyone is aware of how we have managed emotionally. We're looking forward to victory. We have no doubt we will prevail. And this is what keeps us going."

While Zelenskyy has been internationally praised for how he handled the ongoing conflict, which started in February, this recent Vogue cover has caused some to express their disapproval of the Ukrainian President. The cover photo where the 44-year-old President posed with his wife Olena Zelenska (44) caused a legion of social media users to label it as 'odd' as the country is at war with Russia.

A celebrity interviewer named Max (@ThisIsMax) took to Twitter to express how odd the photoshoot looked amid such conflict. She further added,

"This pic just looks so posey and maybe not the right vibe."

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What did Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena Zelenska say about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict in their Vogue interview?

In the interview, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed how international attention had swayed from Ukraine's situation to the rise in fuel prices and the ongoing situation with COVID. He said:

"I will be very honest and maybe not very diplomatic: Gas is nothing. COVID, even COVID is nothing when you compare it to what's going on in Ukraine."

The 44-year-old Kryvyi Rih native further expressed:

"We are fighting for things that could happen in any country in the world. If the world allows this to happen, then it is not upholding its values. That's why Ukraine needs support—significant support."

Meanwhile, Olena also revealed that Zelenskyy hasn't seen his his two children, Oleksandra, 18, and Kyrylo, 9, since the conflict began.

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Netizens slam Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena Zelenska for a Vogue photoshoot

Following the release of the Vogue cover's digital issue, a legion of tweets claimed that it was inappropriate as Ukraine is still engaged in an ongoing conflict with Russia. Meanwhile, some seemingly US citizens took issue with the fact that Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife posed for the photoshoot. A few tweets questioned why the US Congress had authorized $54 billion in aid. The issue of the large amount of sanctions approved by the US has been in debate since US President Joe Biden addressed the issue in one of his press conferences.

Similarly, other tweets pointed out the number of casualties in Ukraine as a result of the country's conflict with Russia. According to the United Nations Office Of The High Commissioner For Human Rights, Ukraine has had over 11,000 civilian casualties. As per their calculations, around 4,889 civilians were killed, and 6,263 were injured as of July 4.

Vogue released an 18-second promo compiled of behind-the-scenes footage of the photo shoot, which showcased Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife as they smiled and posed in front of the camera. This has also garnered hate online following the Vogue cover. Some even alleged that the photos of Zelenskyy at the beginning of the conflict, which showcased that he was patrolling the streets of Kyiv with the Ukrainian soldiers, were faked.