What Ukraine’s First Lady Warns In Open Letter?
(The Quiver) : Olena Zelensky , the first lady of Ukraine penned down an emotional letter addressing the media about the devastation and despair caused by the war.
She warned that if Putin is not stopped ,nobody will be safe. She mentioned,” 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.
In the letter she described how the morning of February 24 was for whole Ukraine , “On February 24th, we all woke up to the announcement of a Russian invasion. Tanks crossed the Ukrainian border, planes entered our airspace, missile launchers surrounded our cities,” she wrote, adding that Kremlin’s ‘special operation’ was, in fact, ‘the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians.
Strongly refusing Russia’s claims of not targeting civilians , she went on writing the names of children who lost their in war.”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. 14-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,” she wrote.
Describing the worst situation of war hit Ukraine, she wrote, ” 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.”
She wrote, “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 terrorized. At this point, there are several dozen children who have never known peace in their lives.”
She considered Russia invasion as double crime as the people are severely ill are deprived from receiving the proper medical treatments, “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.
As the war left hundreds displaces, she wrote, “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 said ‘the aggressor, Putin’ underestimated our Ukraine and its people and their patriotism. “Ukrainians, regardless of political views, native language, beliefs, and nationalities, stand in unparalleled unity,” she wrote.
She also thanked the citizens of the attacked cities who helped others. She also expressed her gratitude for those who provided humanitarian aid to the war-hit country.
“Ukraine wants peace. But Ukraine will defend its borders. Defend its identity. These it will never yield,” she said.
She appealed to the media to keep showing the truth. She said, “I appeal to you, dear media: keep showing what is happening here and keep showing the truth. In the information war waged by the Russian Federation, every piece of evidence is crucial.”
She ended her letter with: Glory to Ukraine!
