Who Is Irina Shayk? Supermodel Faces Backlash For Insta Story Supporting Putin

Famous Russian model Irina Shayk is receiving backlash for her recent Instagram post in which she seems to have extended her support to the country's invasion of Ukraine, led by President Vladimir Putin. The model, who earlier advocated for peace between the warring countries by posting "No to war," is now supposedly backing the Russian invasion. Here's what you need to know about the Irina Shayk Instagram post.

Irina Shayk rose to international fame in 2011 when she became the first Russian model to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She made her acting debut in 2014 alongside Dwayne Johnson in Hercules.

Amid the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Russians based in the US have been facing ample discrimination. Reports of various death threats and online harassment erupted in different US states over the months. However, Irina Shayk recently took to Instagram, sharing a picture of a traditional Olivier Russian salad with the caption "Russianzz on " written along with it.

As per many social media users, the spelling of Russian with 'z' suggests that the model is backing up President Putin amid the ongoing war with Ukraine since the symbol 'Z' is spotted on Russian military vehicles.

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Who is Irina Shayk?

Shayk was born to a father who was a coal miner and a music teacher mother in Emanzhelisk, Russia. Her father passed away when she was just 14 years old. Speaking about her childhood struggles, Shayk said, "Growing up, we didn’t have any money. My mother worked two jobs."

Reports suggest that Shayk and her sister helped rebuild the children’s ward at a local hospital in their hometown, also raising money on behalf of a Russian charity known to provide aid to sick children.

Apart from her impressive modelling career, Shayk has also been in the news for dating high profile celebs. In 2009 she began dating Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and their relationship lasted for close to six years. Then in 2015, she began dating actor Bradley Cooper. In 2017, the couple welcomed a daughter, Lea De Seine, but then the two parted ways in 2019.