"I can tell you a lot." Where has Nazarii Yaremchuk's first wife disappeared to and what does she look like, having chosen to live in the shadows

Olena Shevchenko, the first wife of the legendary singer Nazarii Yaremchuk, is also a singer, but she consciously chose to live in the shadow of her famous husband. She rarely gives interviews and is inactive in the public space. Olena was married to Nazarii Yaremchuk for 15 years. The couple had two sons, Dmytro and Nazarii.

In an interview with OBOZ.UA, the Yaremchuks' eldest son told how their mother is living today. According to Dmytro, Olena Fedorivna lives in Kyiv. Next year she will celebrate her 70th birthday. The singer shared with OBOZ.UA some family photos that have never been published before.

"My mom, like my dad, is a singer," says Dmytro. "They worked together in the band "Smerichka." Mom joined the band when its leader Levko Dutkivskyi and the band's soloist Vasyl Zinkevych came to the Uzhhorod Music School for an audition, looking for a vocalist. Both Dutkivskyi and Zinkevych liked our mother, and they unanimously decided to invite her to join the band."

"She happily called her parents in Mizhhirya, the village in the Zakarpattia region where she comes from," Dmytro continues, "and her grandmother told her that she had to get this nonsense out of her head. She also sent my grandfather to Uzhhorod to "restore order." He came, talked to Dutkivskyi and Zinkevych, and said to his daughter: "Liena, this is your father (pointing to Levko Tarasovych), and this (nodding to Vasyl) is your brother." And he went home, and my mother went to Chernivtsi."

Olena Shevchenko herself recalled her arrival in Chernivtsi in this way (her memoirs are published on the website roduna.org): "I was invited to come to the Chernivtsi Philharmonic, where "Smerichka" worked. Levko met me at the entrance. We started to climb the stairs, and Nazarii Yaremchuk came towards us. He was black-haired, with radiant eyes, and smiling. "Meet me," Levko says, "this is our Nazarii. I shake his hand, and he shakes mine. We make eye contact and... that's it."

"It was love at first sight," says Dmytro. "As for my grandfather, he certainly got a hard time from my grandmother, but later she didn't regret that her daughter disobeyed her. My mother had very good vocal skills, and she can still sing well, but she gave herself completely to my father. He was the star. And she was an ally, always supporting him."

When asked why his parents divorced, Dmytro answers: "It happens in life. But my brother and I believe that this decision was a mistake. Moreover, I think that if my parents hadn't divorced, my dad would still be with us. Did your mom regret leaving? It was a great love, so of course. She went to Kyiv, later remarried, and gave birth to another son."

"Nazar and I entered a music school in Chernivtsi, and for a while, we lived with my father," Dmytro Yaremchuk continues, "He also got married, and a daughter was born in this marriage – our sister Maria. Did your father regret divorcing your mother? I'm not going to talk about it. I don't want to say anything now that might cause conflicts or discontent later. My dad is a special person. I don't want any dirt, any showdowns around his name, and I hope it won't happen. Although I can tell you, believe me, a lot."

Olena Shevchenko lives in Kyiv. According to Dmytro Yaremchuk, next year she will celebrate her 70th birthday. "She doesn't look and feel her age. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, she has not left Kyiv for a day. No matter how many times we offered to take her out, she categorically refused," says Dmytro.

After her divorce from Nazarii Yaremchuk, Olena remarried and gave birth to another son. Dmytro Yaremchuk says he has a normal relationship with his half-brother: "Sviatoslav is a lawyer by profession, he has a family. I am his daughter's godfather."

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!