First Lady Olena Zelenska spoke at the Ukrainian House in the framework of the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland) and spoke about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. The President's wife joined the conversation via video call from the Ukrainian House in Kyiv.
The First Lady showed the participants photos of Ukrainian cities before and after the Russian attack, as well as photos of Ukrainians wounded by the Russian shelling.
Olena Zelenska noted that today it is an image of the whole of Ukraine: wounded, the country seeks to live on and is fighting for it.
"When it became clear that the enemy was not just destroying civilian objects, but was doing so deliberately - we have more than 200 destroyed hospitals - we began to rescue the most vulnerable. We started taking children with oncology abroad. We take orphans abroad, and you can meet the children of two orphanages in Switzerland - they were hosted by the cantons of Bern and Vaud. Thank you for that," said the First Lady.
"We are rescuing and providing those who stayed in Ukraine with essentials. Incubators for perinatal centers... Today in Ukraine there are several dozen children with limb amputations who need prosthetics and long-term rehabilitation. This is the task I am now beginning to pursue. I will turn to the world's leading clinics. And our brand new project is the National Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Program," the President's wife added.
Answering the audience's questions, Olena Zelenska commented on the role of Ukrainian women in wartime, calling their resilience outstanding.
She also spoke about how to help and support Ukraine. First of all, according to the First Lady, one should not get used to war.
"We ask on behalf of the whole of Ukraine - do not to get used to the fact that somewhere in Europe children are bombed. Talk about it. Because as soon as we all get used to it, Putin will have a psychological victory. Second - verify the information. The information warfare is also ongoing. And if you start to think that there may be some justification for attacking another country, that invasion may make some sense, it means that you are under the influence of the Russian media," said the First Lady.
Olena Zelenska added that in order to support our state, public representatives should influence their governments, calling on them to increase sanctions on Russia.
"The sooner it feels them, the less people will die in Ukraine. And representatives of big business, people who have financial authority in the world, can influence the situation by ceasing cooperation with Russian companies," the President's wife is convinced.
The First Lady also told how she manages to hold on during the war: “We have a meme on this. When Russian troops attacked near Kyiv, they dropped bombs from aircraft on the small, cozy village of Borodyanka. And when our people returned, they noticed that there was a kitchen cabinet on the wall of the bombed-out high-rise building. An ordinary one, even with utensils cutlery. So now to the question "how are you?" we have the answer: like a kitchen cabinet from Borodyanka, holding on. That's how we all are today."
