From war survivor to Playboy model

Iryna Bilotserkovets is a model, TV presenter, and the wife of a Ukrainian politician. The woman lost an eye just three days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Iryna's husband is an advisor to Vitali Klitschko, the Mayor of Kyiv.

Their family was targeted by Russian forces, which opened fire on the car in which the woman was sitting with three children. She remembers little of the accident. However, she vividly recalls how she felt when she woke up in the hospital after surgery.

I was missing an eye, tubes were sticking out everywhere, my hair was shaved off after the surgery. Stitches, scars, wounds everywhere. I felt like a Frankenstein monster. My jaw had fractured like a twig – Irina told Playboy about her ordeal.

Recently, photos of the model appeared on the cover of the Ukrainian edition of Playboy. Iryna participated in a session with metal elements — an eye patch and a bikini. But her journey back to health was far from straightforward.

After the attack in February 2022, the woman had to undergo four surgeries. She lost an eye, had a fractured jaw, and had healing cuts all over her body.

It wasn't about preserving my beauty, it was about whether I would survive or not. Doctors in Ukraine said I would probably die. I did not agree with that, and neither did my husband - said in an interview for Playboy.

Iryna was transported to a hospital in Berlin, where she underwent reconstructive surgery on parts of her face and months of rehabilitation. The model has already returned to her profession. She poses with a part of her face covered by long blonde hair. For the Playboy session, she posed confidently.

The model supports her country as best as she can in the fight against the Russian aggressor. Recently, she was distributing Playboys featuring herself on the cover to Ukrainian soldiers in the trenches. She also frequently gives interviews condemning the Russian dictator.

People are going crazy. Leaders of other countries shake hands with Putin, forgetting that he is a murderer who has waged war for years. He has crossed all permissible boundaries – said in an interview for The Sun magazine.