President Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska were photographed by Annie Leibovits for Vogue, in a feature published on July 26.
Ukraine‘s first lady appears on the cover of a special global Vogue digital cover story, while Zelensky appears in a number of images along with his wife.
The 4,000-word feature, titled Portrait of Bravery, talks about “the power of making images” and how women’s voices need to be heard and how “the first lady helped Ukraine to have its own voice.”
Zelenska discusses her The family’s experience of the war after the invasion of Russia and how she handled her role as first lady during the conflict.
The feature draws attention to the current situation in Ukraine in general and includes Zelensky’s call for help: “We are fighting for things that can happen in any country in the world.”
“If the world allows it, it won’t uphold its values. That is why Ukraine needs support – significant support.”
The Vogue feature has received mixed reactions. The Ukrainian president and his wife have been criticized – especially by conservative Americans – for appearing in the magazine during the ongoing conflict, with some deeming it inappropriate.
AJ Delgado, an American lawyer and political commentator, said: “I’m not scared much these days, but Zelensky and his wife doing a fashionable Vogue shoot while their own soldiers are dying is grotesque.
“‘You have to keep that ‘branding’ going so that the piles of money from the American suckers keep flowing to us,” I think.”
US conservative political activist Scott Presler said, “Why did we send $54 billion to Ukraine so Zelensky and his wife could pose for Vogue? You are at war and you have time for photo shoots?”
But other people appreciate how the feature helped raise awareness of the situation in Ukraine and helped keep the war at the forefront of the public.
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Retired US diplomat Alberto Miguel Fernandez, who said: “Actually, I think this is quite clever of Zelensky and his company.
“This appeals to a very specific, highly influential Western demographic (look at some Vogue covers from recent years) that confuse fashion and elite (liberal) politics.”
Journalist Mark Ames said: “Zelensky’s Vogue shoot makes sense as a marketing stunt, aimed at Vogue’s higher readership.
“Here in western New York, support for Ukraine is divided along class lines: many flags of Ukraine in wealthier suburbs, rare in working class/rural/black areas.”
Chief Foreign-Affairs Correspondent of The Wall Street Journal, Yaroslav Trofimov, said: “Zelensky’s main mission is to speak directly to the public opinion of the allied nations so that Ukraine’s case remains relevant to the widest possible audience, and thus for elected officials.
“That’s why he talks to the Cannes festival, to Glastonbury – or gets a Vogue shoot.”