On October 19, 2026, Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina and French athlete Gael Monfils announced the end of their marriage after five years together. Their story became the latest in a series of public divorces involving famous Ukrainian women who tied the knot with foreigners. In each of these cases, against the backdrop of external circumstances—full-scale war, relocations, and long-distance living—internal contradictions accumulated, ultimately leading to separation. Below is the chronology and the reasons that the parties themselves cited in their public statements.
Svitolina and Monfils: Five Years of Marriage and a Daughter Together
Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils got married in July 2021, and in October 2022, their daughter Skai was born. The athletes repeatedly supported each other at tournaments, and in 2025 they played mixed doubles together at the US Open. In her divorce statement, Svitolina spoke about the emotional struggles she experienced due to the war in Ukraine and thanked her husband for his support, acknowledging that some internal grief must be processed independently. «Gael loved me in moments of greatest joy and in the darkest periods, and I loved him with all my heart. Together we built a wonderful life, and we were given the most precious gift—our daughter Skai», the tennis player wrote. The couple emphasized that they are not looking for someone to blame for the split, that raising their daughter remains their shared priority, and asked for privacy.
Kamaliya and Mohammad Zahur: Twenty Years and Conflict Over the Husband's Daughter
Ukrainian singer Kamaliya and British-Pakistani businessman Mohammad Zahur were together for about twenty years. After the birth of twin daughters Arabella and Mirabella in 2013, the family frequently appeared in public, and in 2023 the couple announced their divorce. According to the artist, one of the main reasons was long-standing conflicts with her husband's daughter from his previous marriage to a Russian woman; she stated that the tension stemmed from her anti-Russian stance and harsh remarks about Russia and its citizens. The situation escalated after the full-scale war began, when the family found themselves in London under one roof with a large number of relatives. Kamaliya also pointed out that she did not feel sufficient support from her husband in these conflicts. She called a turning point a conversation about raising their daughters, during which, according to her, Zahur made it clear he was not ready to give up his relationship with his eldest daughter to preserve the marriage: «I would rather divorce you than abandon Tanya». Despite the divorce, the former spouses continue to raise their daughters together and maintain contact for their sake.
Oksana Baiul and Carlo Farina: 13 Years of Marriage and Custody Disputes
Olympic figure skating champion Oksana Baiul built her family in the USA: in 2012 she married American businessman Carlo Farina, and in 2015 their daughter Sophia was born. The marriage lasted 13 years, but in 2025 news of the divorce broke, and in January 2026 it was officially finalized. For Baiul, this period proved particularly difficult due to disputes regarding child-rearing and family property. The court granted Farina primary custody of Sophia and allowed him to move with her from Louisiana to Las Vegas; the mother's visitation rights were determined by the terms of the court agreement. Baiul reacted emotionally to the decision and described what she went through as a very painful period.
Iryna Bilyk and Aslan Akhmadov: Long-Distance Life and Exhausted Relationship
Ukrainian singer Iryna Bilyk and photographer-producer Aslan Akhmadov married in 2013. Their relationship initially differed from traditional family life: due to work in different countries, the couple spent a significant amount of time apart. In December 2015, their son Tabriz was born via surrogate. Despite the arrival of a child, the constant distance remained a trial for the relationship. In 2021, Bilyk announced their divorce, explaining that over years of marriage they had both changed, and their relationship had gradually run its course. The artist did not dramatize the split and said she did not consider it a tragedy.
What unites these stories is not only the status of foreign spouses, but also a combination of external factors—war, relocation, and long-distance living—with internal family conflicts: child-rearing, differing positions, and the division of roles. In all cases, public statements were made in a calm tone, emphasizing shared children and requesting privacy, which is characteristic of modern celebrity divorce declarations in the media landscape.
