- Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s parents are Oleksandr Zelensky and Rimma Zelenska
- His father Oleksandr is a professor and mining scientist while his mother Rimma served as a successful engineer
- The parents of the president of Ukraine speak Russian and are grandparents to Zelensky’s 2 children
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s parents have reached global fame as the parents of the 6th president of Ukraine and the first Jewish president of the country. Their son was also an actor and comedian known for 8 First Dates (2012), and Servant of the People (2015-2019).
On the part of Zelenkyy’s father Oleksandr “Aleksandr” Zelensky, he is an academic who serves as the Head of the Department of Cybernetics and Computing Hardware at Kryvyi Rih University as well as a doctor of technical sciences. He is also a mining scientist with many years of experience.
On the other hand, his mother Rimma Zelenskaya served as an engineer for more than 40 years before she retired.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s parents Have Been Married For More Than 4 Decades
Oleksandr Zelensky and Rimma Zelenskaya have been together for more than 40 years and had their 45 years old son who would later become president of Ukraine in 1978. At the time of Volodymyr’s birth, his father was 31 years old.
At the time they settled as spouses, the parents of the president had not had high achievements in their careers as compared to their present state. Tracing their career, the older Zelensky obtained a degree from Kryvyi Rih State University – an institution that his son would later attend. He achieved this about 6 years prior to the birth of Volodymyr.
After their son’s birth and in their marriage, his father defended his dissertation at the Moscow State Mining University in 1983 when the leader of the Servant of the People and Ukraine’s president was 5 years old.
Oleksandr’s Father Was A Veteran WWII Fighter
Prior to the birth of the father of Zelenskyy, his father and Volodymyr’s grandfather Symone “Simon” Zelensky joined the WWII fight under the Red Army. The war started in 1939 and lasted until 1945, 2 years before the birth of Oleksandr in 1947.
Simon survived the war that ended the lives of about 70-80 million people and later became a colonel that would die in independent Ukraine.
However, during the war in The Holocaust (Shoah) where European Jews were massacred, the father of Simon Zelensky was killed. This also did not live his siblings out of it as 3 of his brothers also lost their lives.
In a twist, the grandfather of Volodymyr is not the only parent of a president to survive WWII. Vladimir Putin’s father, also named Vladimir survived the same war.
They May Be Among the Most Educated Parents of a President
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Not many presidents’ parents have attained the same level of success that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s parents have. In terms of education, his 75 years old father has reached the level of a professor. Although the peak of the education of his mother Rimma is not known, she was able to obtain a certificate as an engineer.
Breakdown of Education and career of Zelenskyy’s parents
- Oleksandr earned a Bachelor’s degree in 1972 from Kryvyi Rih State University
- He attended Moscow State Mining University
- The father of the 6th Ukrainian president is a professor
- The president’s father wrote a dissertation, Automated Calculation of iron ore reserves in the ICS Quarry
- His mother Rimma was an engineer
- The academic is the head of Cybernetics and Computing Hardware at Kryvyi Rih State University od Economics and Technology
- The older Zelensky is the author of many books
Other Interesting Facts About Voloymyr Zelenskyy’s Parents
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- Oleksandr Zelensky was 72 years old when his son became the first Jewish president of Ukraine
- Their son became the first actor, comedian, ad producer to become president in Ukraine
- President Volodymyr named his first child cum only daughter after his father – Oleksandra “Aleksandra” (female version of Oleksandr “Aleksandr”)
- Their daughter-in-law and the wife of Zelenskyy, Olena Zelenskyy was listed among the most powerful people in Ukraine by Famous Magazine
- The Jewish-Ukrain couple may be a target in the Russian-Ukraine crisis as president Zelensky is listed as the first target of Russia while his family is second
- Their son came to power when Ukraine had already been at war with Vladimir Putin’s Russia for about 5 years
- Their son has made the name of a legend in Ukraine while the world sees him as a hero for refusing asylum in the United States to be in his country and with his people
- They speak Russian and Ukrainian
