Galina Lukashenko is the wife of the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. She is from Belarus by birth and upon her husband’s position as the president of the country, is the first lady of Belarus.
Although she birthed 2 kids for Alexander, she and the president still live as strangers. She is seldom seen making appearances at events nor does she accompany him to whatever ceremonies she should be seen at with him.
The reason for Lukashenko’s absence from the spotlight will be discussed in this article. However, it is worthy to note that although she is rarely by the side of Alexander, it doesn’t take away her position and title as the first lady of Belarus.
Here Are 10 Facts About Galina Lukashenko You Should Know
1. She Was Born On New Year’s Day of 1955
Galina Lukashenko was born Galina Rodionovna Zhelnerovich on the 1st of January 1955. She was born in Byelorussian SSR, the Soviet Union to Mr. Rodion Georgievich Zhelnerovich from Brest. Her mother was Elena Fedorovna Zhelnerovich from Slutsk.
Lukashenko’s father died in 1983 while her mother passed away a few years ago in 2019.
The Belarusian is quite educated as she attended high school in a village known as Ryzhkovichi. After her high schooling, Galina attended Mogilev State University formerly known as Mogilev Pedagogical Institute.
2. Galina and the Belarusian President Met While She Was Still in High-school
Im Zusammenhang mit #Lukaschenka fällt öfter der #Ceaucescu Vergleich. Ein großer Unterschied sind die Rollen der Ehefrauen. Über Galina Rodionovna Lukaschenka ist fast nichts bekannt, außer dass sie als einfache Bäuerin ~ 300 km östl. von Minsk leben soll. pic.twitter.com/SZdmIe0OUW
— Nicola Werdenigg (@NicolaWerdenigg) August 17, 2020
The president and his wife were high-school sweethearts. They reportedly attended the same high school and first met during a play. It is believed that the president fell in love at first sight with the young Galina who played the role of ‘Snow White’ in the play.
Moving on, they eventually took their relationship further. He was about a year older than Galina and lived in Alexandria. However, these didn’t deter their romance as the president would gladly travel the distance to go see her no matter the situation.
By the time Rodionovna had finished her three courses and graduated, Lukashenko had a diploma degree. They eventually got married in 1975 while Galina worked in a Kindergarten.
3. She Has Two Sons with the President
The marriage between Galina and Alexander saw the birth of two sons. The boys are named Viktor Lukashenko and Dimitry Lukashenko.
Viktor was born on the 28th of November 1975 and is the eldest son. He is also a politician and serves as the current president of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus.
As a politician and son of the president, he served as a National Security Advisor to his father. He is married to a woman named Lilya Lukashenko and together they have 4 children.
Dimitry Lukashenko is the second son of Galina and Alexander who was born on the 23rd of March 1980. He heads the Presidential Sports Club of Belarus and is a businessman. Dimitry studied in the International Relations Faculty of the Belarusian State University. Previously, he offered his service to the Border Guard Service of Belarus.
4. Galina Lukashenko is Estranged from Her Husband
Married since 1975 but they seldom see each other especially when Alexander became president. When Lukashenko became the president of Belarus in 1994, his wife did not move with him to the Capital.
The reason given was that their sons were still quite young and in school. Galina had to make the extra effort to be with their sons while her husband assumed office at Minsk. The wife of the president has been living on Zemlyanichnaya Street in Shklow since her husband’s political career started.
5. She Heads the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee
Lukashenko Galina is not just the first lady of Belarus as is her right as the wife of the president. She also occupies the seat of the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee head in the Department in charge of Population Improvement. This position has been occupied by the first lady since January of 1998.
6. She Is Not Involved in Her Family’s Controversies
The 69 year-old mother of two is the only Lukashenko who isn’t involved in the EU sanctions. In 2020, the European Union added the president alongside his first son to the list of Sanctioned Belarus officials. The EU rejected the claim by the president of winning the 9th August re-election.
The election was declared a win for Lukashenko and this raised eyebrows of a lot of people who believed it was rigged. The consequence of this was widespread protests across the country.
In light of this sanction, neither the president nor his son can travel to the countries in the EU. Their travel visas were blocked as well as their assets were frozen. No EU Company nor citizen is permitted to lend to Lukashenko and his sons.
However, this is not the first time this is happening as both Viktor and Dimitry had been sanctioned by the EU since 2011. Galina is however exempted from this sanction as she was not a party to any of the crimes.
7. Her Husband Has a Son Out of Wedlock
The ‘first citizen’ of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko had an extra-marital affair with his physician. Dr. Irina Abelskaya is a former physician of the president with whom he had an affair that saw the birth of his third child.
The boy was born Nikoli Aleksandrovich Lukashenko on the 31st of August 2004. Nikoli is the stepson of Byelorussian-born Galina. He attended Ostroshitsko-Gorodok Secondary School. After his high school education, the youngest son of Alexander enrolled at Belarusian State University. However, he withdrew from the school and began to attend a gym at Moscow State University.
Nikoli is quite close to his father as he has been seen making a lot of public appearances with him. The young boy even attends meetings with the president and this has sparked speculations. People believe that Nikoli is being groomed to become the next Belarusian president. Even his father made a suggestive statement in 2013.
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8. Her Hobbies Include Outdoor Activities and Reading
Galina enjoys outdoor activities that include walks in the forest. She also loves to read, a habit she became more invested in after her sons grew up and left her alone in her Shklow-located house.
9. Report Has It that the President Maltreats His Wife
When Lukashenko became the first citizen of Belarus, he had Mikhail Chigir as his Prime minister. As a result of this, the wife of the Prime Minister, Julia became friends with Galina. However, as time went by, Alexander prevented her from remaining friends with Mrs. Chigir.
Additionally, reports have carried that the president treats his wife like a dog. He only gives her orders and does not regard her or her advice. Galina is also banned from going anywhere or seeing anyone without the permission of her husband. The only people she is allowed visits to and from are her children and grandkids.
10. Her Husband has Been Referred to as ‘Europe’s Last Dictator’
Galina Lukashenko’s husband Alexander Lukashenko was named ‘Europe’s Last Dictator’ over 20 years ago. It was at the time when Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president was seen as a pro-Western political newcomer. Alexander, since assuming the office and position of the President of Belarus has not relinquished power to any other person. He has been the president through all the country’s elections despite the controversies surrounding the last one.
Lukashenko has been dubbed a dictator as he even arrests and deals with protesters. Also, he goes against the European Union and does not care what they think of him. The current Belarusian president doesn’t seem willing to let go of power for anyone else. If the speculations are true, the position may remain in the Lukashenko family for a long time.
