I sat down the wife of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Here's what I learnt
Meet Olena Zelenska — the woman behind the man fighting the war against Russia.
In the midst of her husband's focus on the war in Ukraine and global diplomacy for more weapons and aid, Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska has waged her own battle to protect the country's future generations. She has led efforts to turn educators, pharmacists, police officers, and social workers into frontline counsellors and established a foundation to build new homes for children orphaned by the war.
The ongoing conflict has taken a toll on the Zelenskys, with Olena Zelenska particularly concerned about the return of thousands of Ukrainian children abducted, forcibly transferred, or deported by Russia since the invasion. In a recent interview in Bucha, a city near Kyiv that suffered a brutal massacre in 2022, the First Lady emphasized the importance of raising awareness about the issue, stating that it is not covered enough in Western media.
She expressed frustration that Moscow has not returned most of the children taken during the invasion, and called for increased pressure on Russia to provide information and sanctions. Despite the hardships, Olena Zelenska remains defiant, emphasizing the importance of defending their Ukrainian identity and resisting efforts to erase it.
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