The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, gave an interview to a British Vogue correspondent. In it, she recalls what she did at the beginning of the war, tells how Ukrainian cities are experiencing the blockade, and calls to close the sky over Ukraine.
Could you describe the first days of the invasion? What do you remember most clearly?
I remember the beginning very well. It was a normal working day and evening: children coming home from school, normal household chores, preparation for the next day... We were stressed. There was much talk of a possible invasion everywhere. But until the last minute, it was impossible to believe that this would happen ... in the 21st century? In the modern world? I woke up somewhere between 4 and 5 in the morning due to a knock. I did not immediately understand that it was an explosion. I did not understand what it could be. The man was not in bed. But when I got up, I saw him immediately, already dressed, in a regular suit (this was the last time I saw him in a suit and a white shirt - from now on he is a military man). "It's begun," was all he said.
I wouldn't say there was panic. Maybe confusion. "What should we do with the children? "Wait," he said, "I'll let you know." Just in case, collect essential items and documents." And left home.
Your son is 9 and your daughter is 17. What did you say about what's going on?
Children do not need to explain anything. They all see, like every child in Ukraine. Of course, this is not what children should see - but children are very honest and sincere. You can't hide anything from them. Therefore, the best strategy is the truth. So, we all discussed with daughter and son. I tried to answer their questions. We talk a lot because talking about what hurts, not keeping it to yourself, is a proven psychological strategy. It works.
You probably thought about the safety of your family, even though you witnessed violence against ordinary citizens of Ukraine. Can you describe your mix of personal and civic feelings?
The war immediately combined the personal and the public. And this is probably the fatal mistake of the tyrant who attacked us. We are all Ukrainians first, and then the rest. He wanted to divide us, fragment us, provoke an internal confrontation, but this is impossible with Ukrainians. When one of us is tortured, raped or killed, we feel that we are all being tortured, raped or killed. We don't need propaganda to feel civic-minded and resist. It is this personal anger and pain that we all feel that instantly activates the thirst to act, to resist aggression, to defend our freedom.
Everyone is doing it as best they can: soldiers with weapons in their hands, teachers continuing to teach, doctors conducting complex operations under fire. Everyone became a volunteer - artists, restaurateurs, hairdressers.
Barbarians are trying to take over our country, and this awakens the deepest patriotic feelings in us and our children. Not only in my children, but also in all children of Ukraine. They will grow up to be patriots and defenders of their Motherland.
How did you cope emotionally? Are there friends or sources of support you have turned to during this time? How often did you communicate with your husband in the first weeks of the war? And now?
In the beginning, there was no emotion. It was necessary to take care of the children and their emotional state. That's why I tried to be confident, smiling, energetic, explaining to them that yes, you have to go down to the basement and that's why you can't turn on the light. I tried to answer their question optimistically: "When will we see dad?" - "Soon". In those early days, I hoped we could stay with him. But the president's office turned into a military facility, and my children and I were not allowed to stay there. We were ordered to move to a safe place - if a safe place can be found in Ukraine now... Since then, we communicate with Volodymyr only by phone.
What problems did women in your country face in particular after the Russian invasion?
I want all the people in the world to understand that Ukrainian women lived a peaceful, modern life, as Vogue readers live in any country. Actually, these were your readers, because there is Vogue Ukraine. They did not prepare bomb shelters for missile strikes. But from the first days, after Russian rockets began to hit residential buildings in various cities, it became clear that Russia does not spare peaceful lives. All Ukrainians stopped feeling safe. I had to learn to quickly gather loved ones at the sound of a siren and go down to the subway or the nearest basement.
By the third day of the war, a Ukrainian child was born in the bomb shelter. And after that, thousands of women had to give birth in bomb shelters, because we saw what could happen to maternity hospitals like the one in Mariupol, which was bombed by the Russians. There is also a problem with the treatment of children, especially those with serious illnesses. Mothers and grandmothers live in hospitals for months with such children. And now we all have to take them abroad for treatment.
Women had to leave occupied cities such as Bucha and Gostomel, risking their lives under fire, with children and the elderly, often on foot, often without their husbands, because the occupiers would not let them go. The world saw it at the beginning of March, when people crossed the planted bridge from the city of Irpin.
And now, when these cities are de-occupied, we know more about what Ukrainian women faced: complete insecurity, the threat of violence. An international investigation should speak here.
And how many women remained in the occupied cities of Kherson, Melitopol, Berdyansk? They cannot even tell their relatives what is happening to them because there is no communication and any contact they have will be tracked.
Tens of thousands of women and children are in the ruins of Mariupol. And one can only imagine what horror they are going through, looking for food under fire for a month, because humanitarian aid is not allowed.
About four million women and children have migrated and are now in other countries. And being a migrant is hard both morally and physically. Because you have to start over.
What is it like to live when you can't even wear your own clothes? How to explain to a child why he does not sleep in his bed? This is an ordeal you wouldn't wish on anyone.
Was there a particular story of a woman – among so many – that you could tell?
I can tell dozens of such stories. For example, after the deoccupation of Kyiv region, we heard the story of doctor Iryna Yazova, who remained in Bucha. She rescued neighbors and strangers who were seeking shelter and treatment for gunshot wounds. She anesthetized and bandaged them. She even helped give birth to a child - without electricity, water and gas, in a house under fire. The story of her daily exploits is now told by neighbors who owe her their lives.
There is also the story of a mother in Kyiv - Olga, who covered her two-month-old daughter when a rocket hit her house. Or the story of Natalia, a teacher at the Chernihiv orphanage, who lived with 30 children (one of whom was her own) in the basement. She fed and looked after them, and then she found a car and under fire (because Chernigov was under fire from the very beginning) took them to a safe place.
There are almost as many such stories as there are Ukrainians. I launched a Telegram channel, inviting Ukrainians to share their military experience. Every personal story is the story of our country.
The destruction of Ukrainian cities and towns was terrible. Was there an early attack that showed you how far Putin and the Russian military are willing to go? Was this an attack on a maternity hospital in Mariupol? Was there a line you felt you crossed early on?
The line you speak of was crossed on the first day – the first! Russia then (as now) lied, saying that it was targeting only military targets. In fact, on February 24 in Chuguyev, as a result of their shelling, a civil employee of the gas service named Svitlana, who was simply doing her job, died. That was the first day!
In the days that followed, we lost our children. They died from shrapnel in their hometowns. We lost more than 200 children. So each case was instructive for us.
Blocked, destroyed Mariupol is our terrible pain. It continues. And Kyiv became terrible - that's what we saw when the Russian army retreated. The world learned the name of Butch. This is one of the once beautiful towns near the capital - and the same horrors can be seen in dozens of villages and towns of the Kyiv region. People are killed in the street. Civilians, not military! Graves near playgrounds. I can't even describe it. It deprives me of the gift of speech. But you have to look at it.
I hope we are not the only ones who see the message Russia is broadcasting. This message is not addressed only to us. This is their message to the world! This can happen to any country that Russia does not like.
You and your husband have pleaded with countries to do more to respond to this invasion, and in particular you have called on the US to implement a no-fly zone. Do you think this is the right thing to do for the US?
Yes, we asked, officially and unofficially. Like every Ukrainian in their social networks during the protests. When the Russian siege of Mariupol began, they realized that Russia was not only firing rockets, but also bombing from the air. One of the bombs fell on the theater, where more than a thousand people were hiding. About three hundred people died there. I know, for example, a family that lost a son, a daughter and a grandchild. Only the grandparents and the eldest girl remained alive. How do they live after that?
We asked to close the sky above us so that Ukrainians would not die. But NATO considered it a direct conflict with Russia. So, can I now say that Russia alone is to blame for the further deaths? A rhetorical question. You ask if this is the right move for the United States. What I'm saying—and this is true not only for the U.S.—make a strong response to the actions of the aggressor, otherwise it will not stop. Russia knows that the West will not close the sky and this fact prompts it to commit atrocities. The democratic world must unite and give a tough response, thereby showing that in the 21st century there is no place for the killing of civilians and encroachment on foreign territory. I saw a caricature of NATO and world organizations watching a falling building with the inscription UKRAINE. Perhaps it was an exaggeration, because Ukraine receives weapons. But we also need protection! However, such protection is provided to those who have gone abroad. Millions of our women and children are now receiving help from both governments and millions of ordinary people in the European Union. I am infinitely grateful for that.
What do you think about the recent moves of the Russian army? Do you see any signs that Russia is ready to de-escalate?
What is important here is not what I think, but what is actually happening. Frankly speaking, no one in Ukraine believes any statement of the aggressor. And de-escalation is still not in sight. The Russians withdrew from the Kyiv region, but intensified their attacks in the Donetsk and Odesa regions.
How can ordinary citizens help Ukrainians?
The main thing is not to get used to war, not to turn it into statistics. Keep protesting, keep demanding action from your governments. Ukrainians are the same as you, but a little over a month ago, our lives changed dramatically. Ukrainians did not want to leave their homes. But many of them have no houses left.
Ukrainians have been traveling visa-free in Europe for a long time — many could and did travel. Most of our people have been abroad before. But they were not going to become refugees. So: treat them like your own. The main thing these mothers and children dream about is to return home and reunite their families. So help them adapt, please - a house, a job, a school for the kids - until they can go back.
Also, everyone in the world should know that Russia is waging a massive information war on the world stage. Any information from them should be treated with caution and critical thinking. In recent days, we have witnessed several pro-Russian actions in Germany, Greece and other countries in support of the war. The Russians do it. A normal Russian should be ashamed of the actions of his country, of the atrocities committed by its army. I never call for violence. But those who support the war cannot be trusted.
What is your life like now?
I now live in the same way as other Ukrainians. We all have one great desire: to see the world. And I, like every mother and wife, constantly worry about my husband and do everything to keep my children safe.
And what gives you hope?
My family - like every Ukrainian - and my compatriots: incredible people who organized themselves to help the army and help each other. Now all Ukrainians are an army. Everyone does what they can. There are stories of grandmothers who bake bread for the army just because they feel this call. They want to bring victory closer.
These are the Ukrainians. We all hope for them. We rely on ourselves.
Is there a moment from last month that you will never forget?
About a week after the start of the war, I called everyone, trying to find out where my relatives were and if they were alive. And at one point I realized that I don't know if I will ever see them again - those whom I love, my loved ones! It was probably the first time I cried—the first time I let my emotions go. I couldn't bear it.
I will always remember my acquaintances and friends, all men and boys in military uniform. I will always remember how brave my friends are! What are these women capable of - fragile and elegant in peacetime - when war is all around! Their stories inspire me. I am so proud of them. And I dream of seeing them again.
Source: Spindrift
