Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska, 44, has made a rare appearance with her husband.
– Nobody takes my husband away from me. Not even the war, she says in a TV interview.
When Ukrainian Parliament TV channel Rada TV broadcast the interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj and First Lady Olena Zelenska this weekend, it was the second time since the start of the war that they appeared together.
For security reasons, Olena Zelenska, the couple’s 9-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter have not lived with the president since the Russian invasion began on February 24. In the TV interview with Rada TV, Olena Zelenska tells about the night when it all started:
– I woke up to strange noises outside the window, like everyone else. It was dark, and Volodymyr was not there. I found him in the room next door. He was wearing a suit, but without a tie. I immediately understood what was going on and asked him what happened. He just said, “It’s started.” We immediately understood that life had changed forever. And now I am very much looking forward to the day when he says: “The war is over.”
When the TV reporter asks Zelenska if the war kidnapped her husband, she answers:
– Nobody takes my husband away from me, not even the war. But yes, he lives his life at work. We barely see him. For two and a half months we did not see each other, we only talked on the phone. We have met several times recently, and I thank you for this interview because now we are also together.
Volodymyr Zelensky jokes and says:
– We have a date live.
During the months when the presidential couple were not seen at all, it sometimes happened that they ate dinner at the same time, and talked to each other on the phone about what they ate. Olena Zelenska explains:
– We are joking with each other while waiting for us to be reunited, just like all Ukrainian families living separately now.
Hundreds of comments in connection with Rada TV’s hour-long interview show how popular Olena Zelenska and her husband are. Tanya Oberemko writes for example:
– Many thanks to our president and first lady for their simplicity and boundless humanity.
Andrey Patyak praises Olena Zelenska:
– She is one of the best first ladies in history.