Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska is seen during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on September 1, 2021 in Arlington, Virginia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska said she believes Russia intends to destroy her country.
In an interview revealing the profound upheaval the conflict has brought to her family and fellow citizens, Zelenska told Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita that the invasion of Ukraine “completely changed everything, including our lives.”
In a remote interview published on April 28, Zelenska said that since the invasion began on February 24, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “moved to his place of work on Bankova Street (the president’s office in Kyiv)” while they stayed with their children is .
“There are no days off and no time off in war. Often you don’t even know the day of the week. There is only what needs to be done today,” she added.
Zelenksa said her children are learning remotely while through her initiative she works with other first ladies, national governments, activists and volunteers to organize the evacuation of sick and orphaned children to safe places.
When asked if the war changed her husband, she said, “For some reason, I hear that question a lot. But the war didn’t change him.”
You have to understand that he has always been like this. He was a man you could count on. A man who will never fail. Now the whole world has seen what might not have been clear to everyone before.”
When asked what she thinks Vladimir Putin wants to achieve in Ukraine, Zelenska said Russia’s embassy is constantly evolving and “this leads to the conclusion that their plans are constantly changing or don’t work logically. But I don’t judge them by explanations but by actions.
“What the Russian troops are doing in Ukraine leads directly to the conclusion that the Russians are trying to annihilate the Ukrainians, which is their true goal.
“This conclusion comes to mind when I see the destruction of Mariupol, from which not even safe evacuation through humanitarian corridors was allowed, when I see the bombing of residential buildings in Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Odessa, the destroyed railway station in Kramatorsk a Russian missile that killed more than 50 people trying to flee,” she said.
“And of course I came to this conclusion after the war crimes committed by the Russians in the Kyiv region, where we continue to discover the mass graves of murdered, executed non-combatants, women and children,” she said.
“Yes, I am convinced that the Russians want to destroy us and commit genocide. And it doesn’t matter what they say, because their words don’t match their actions.”
Zelenska added that she is grateful to Poland for helping Ukrainian refugees, as they are “looking forward to the most important news – that we won and that they can go home”.
She added, “I’ll be happy if I can pass it on to her one day, hopefully as soon as possible.”