• The Ukrainian First Lady says that even though her movements have been restricted to largely moving between her office and her residence, save for a few work trips, she is glad she did not have to flee.
• Zelenska said that having to stay in Ukraine amidst the war is one of the things that have encouraged her to stay strong for all Ukrainians who look up to her and for herself.
Image: OPU
While in most countries that are at war, the first families as well as those of high-ranking state officials would leave to neighboring or other countries abroad until the war has ended, Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska insists that she is happy she stayed in her country.
However, Ukraine's First Lady, Olena Zelenska, asserts that she is content with her decision to remain in her country during these challenging times.
The Ukrainian First Lady stated that despite her limited movements, primarily confined to commuting between her office and residence with occasional work trips, she is grateful that she did not have to flee.
She emphasized that this situation allows her a deeper understanding of the country's circumstances compared to those living outside Ukraine.
Zelenska said that having to stay in Ukraine amidst the war is one of the things that have encouraged her to stay strong for all Ukrainians who look up to her and for herself.
“I’m glad I managed to stay in our country with our people and I didn’t have to flee to protect my family. It is a huge happiness for me because it is very important for people to see that some things stayed unchanged even in these events.
“I know many people are scared to look at everything that is happening in Ukraine and sometimes you feel more scared when you are abroad. When you are inside the country you understand everything that is happening in Ukraine. You understand what is happening around you, you understand what the air raid alert means and that we work daily,” Zelenska said.
The Ukrainian First Lady who assumed the role after her husband, a former actor and comedian Volodymyr Zelensky was elected President in 2019, also notes that being the spouse of a president is no mean task because one must figure things out as they execute their responsibilities.
Zelenska says it becomes worse, when one has to be the First Lady of a country that is at war.
“To be the wife of a president is a complicated task for anyone. You have to figure things out. There’s no book to guide you… It’s also not anyone’s dream to be the First Lady of a country at war.”
Before becoming First Lady, Zelenska was a Screenwriter.
Speaking to a group of journalists from 10 African countries in Kyiv, Zelenska said Ukrainians have had a very difficult experience that no one would probably want to undergo, following the full-scale Russian invasion.
She noted that in most instances, she is forced to hide her emotions because many people look up to her, despite being scared and sometimes feeling awful about it.
“I cannot share these emotions with everyone for others not to lose hope,” she said.
The Ukrainian First Lady conveyed her wish for a complete recovery and return to normalcy for all those affected by the war.
She emphasized the importance of leveraging the lessons learned during this challenging period to fortify the resilience of the Ukrainian people.
Zelenska underscored that the foremost desire of all Ukrainians is to attain peace in their country and its surroundings.
“This is a very difficult experience and probably no one would want to such an experience in their lives. All of us want to have peace, we want our countries to blossom. We want to have peace in our families and societies.
“I have this big desire for all of us to be able to recover after this huge challenge and I have dreams that when this war is over, we will be able to leave behind this difficult period of our lives and live. I believe in post-traumatic growth, and I hope that all the tragedies we go through will make us stronger.”
The First Lady added that while it takes more than just a year to solve Ukraine’s current challenge, she hopes that they will not forget the experiences they have undergone and that it will make them a more humane society.
“I hope that we will not forget this experience and that we will transform it into something more humane and that this aggression against us will not make us cruel in response and that we will keep our values and humane values. It is very important to us and I’m sure that we are very right in our activities, and we should stay right and truthful to our values.”