Olena Zelenska and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in happier times last month, before the Russian invasion. Photo / Instagram
Olena Zelenska and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in happier times last month, before the Russian invasion. Photo / Instagram
In an open letter to the world media, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska has detailed some of the atrocities committed by Russian troops against civilians, particularly children, in Ukraine.
"On February 24th, we all woke up to the announcement of a Russian invasion. Tanks crossed the Ukrainian border, planesentered our airspace, missile launchers surrounded our cities," she wrote.
"Despite assurances from Kremlin-backed propaganda outlets, who call this a 'special operation' - it is, in fact, the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians.
"Perhaps the most terrifying and devastating of this invasion are the child casualties. Eight-year-old Alice who died on the streets of Okhtyrka while her grandfather tried to protect her. Or Polina from Kyiv, who died in the shelling with her parents. Fourteen-year-old Arseniy was hit in the head by wreckage, and could not be saved because an ambulance could not get to him on time because of intense fires.
"When Russia says that it is 'not waging war against civilians,' I call out the names of these murdered children first," the First Lady added.
Olena Zelenska and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in happier times last month, before the Russian invasion. Photo / Instagram
"Our women and children now live in bomb shelters and basements. You have most likely all seen these images from Kyiv and Kharkiv metro stations, where people lie on the floors with their children and pets – trapped beneath. These are just consequences of war for some, for Ukrainians it now a horrific reality. In some cities families cannot get out of the bomb shelters for several days in a row because of the indiscriminate and deliberate bombing and shelling of civilian infrastructure.
"The first newborn of the war, saw the concrete ceiling of the basement, their first breath was the acrid air of the underground, and they were greeted by a community trapped and terrorised. At this point, there are several dozen children who have never known peace in their lives.
"This war is being waged against the civilian population, and not just through shelling."
Zelenska says Vladimir Putin has underestimated Ukrainians, who stand in "unparalleled unity".
"Some people require intensive care and continuous treatment, which they cannot receive now. How easy is it to inject insulin in the basement? Or to get asthma medication under heavy fire? Not to mention the thousands of cancer patients whose essential access to chemotherapy and radiation treatment have now been indefinitely delayed," she wrote.
"Local communities on social media are full of despair. Many people, including the elderly, severely ill and those with disabilities, have been debilitatingly cut off, ending up far from their families and without any support. War against these innocent people is a double crime.
"Our roads are flooded with refugees. Look into the eyes of these tired women and children who carry with them the pain and heartache of leaving loved ones and life as they knew it behind. The men bringing them to the borders shedding tears to break apart their families, but bravely returning to fight for our freedom.
"After all, despite all this horror, Ukrainians do not give up."
She continues her open letter calling on world media to keep detailing and showing images of what is happening in Ukraine.
Zelenska also repeated the Ukrainian government's multiple appeals for the sky above the country to be closed.
"Close the sky and we will manage the war on the ground ourselves," she wrote.
"This is a war in Europe, close to the EU borders. Ukraine is stopping the force that may aggressively enter your cities tomorrow under the pretext of saving civilians," Zelenska added.
"If we don't stop Putin, who threatens to start a nuclear war, there will be no safe place in the world for any of us."
