Ukrainian actress Anna Salivanchuk broke down in tears while driving her car as she spoke publicly on social media about the overwhelming pressures of raising two children without a husband.
The star of the comedy television series Once Upon a Time in Poltava explained on Instagram that she felt exhausted from carrying every responsibility herself while working constantly to provide for her sons.
Salivanchuk told followers that she was listening to music in her vehicle when she began crying heavily, noting how easily a woman can be pushed to her limit. She said a mother's work never truly ends and lasts twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
The actress detailed how her daily routine involves balancing filming duties with preparing meals for her children, driving them to extracurricular activities, and picking them up from bomb shelters during air raid alarms. Even when her children sleep, she said she lies awake worrying about their clothes for the next day and wondering whether air alerts will sound throughout the night.
Filming demands and parental controls
Salivanchuk explained that the tipping point came when she tried to configure parental control settings on her child's mobile phone. After staff at a specialized store failed to resolve the technical issue, she broke down in tears inside her vehicle.
Calling the phone incident the final straw, the actress admitted she felt sorry for herself and no longer had the energy to keep up appearances. She questioned how any mother could manage rehearsals, filming shoots, and daily tasks alone while repeatedly retrieving children from shelters during emergencies.
Salivanchuk added that she was holding on as best she could, expressing conviction that all mothers raising children alone understand the overwhelming exhaustion of managing without support.
Divorce from politician Oleksandr Bozhkov
Salivanchuk was previously married to Oleksandr Bozhkov, a Ukrainian politician who serves as a People's Deputy in the nation's parliament. The couple raised two sons together, named Hlib and Nikita, before their marriage ended in divorce in 2023.
According to the actress, who has previously spoken publicly about her ex-husband, Bozhkov provides no financial support for their children and does not maintain contact with Hlib and Nikita.
A People's Deputy in Ukraine is an elected representative in the Verkhovna Rada, the national parliament, while Once Upon a Time in Poltava is a long-running Ukrainian television comedy series.
