‘Mass murder’: Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska’s desperate move

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska has penned a powerful open letter as children continue to be killed in Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion.

Olena Zelenska, the wife of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, has said Russia is guilty of the “mass murder of Ukrainian civilians” in a passionate and searing “open letter to the media” on Tuesday.

And she warned Europe could be next.

“What happened just over a week ago was impossible to believe. Our country was peaceful; our cities, towns and villages were full of life,” she wrote, according to the New York Post.

Now that’s shattered, Ms Zelenska wrote in her open letter titled “I Testify …”

But she added that the Ukrainian people will never give up.

“When Russia says that it is ‘not waging war against civilians’, I call out the names of these murdered children first,” she said, listing the names of the war’s tragic youngest victims who died on the street in shellings, including some hit in the head by falling debris after a Russian bombing.

Ukrainian children are among the fatalities. Picture: Aris Messinis/AFP

“Despite assurances from Kremlin-backed propaganda outlets, who call this a ‘special operation’ – it is, in fact, the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians,” 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 [is] now a horrific reality.

Olena Zelenska’s open letter slammed the invasion. Picture: Gints Ivuskans/AFP

“In some cities, families cannot get out of the bomb shelters for several days in a row because of the indiscriminate and deliberate bombing and shelling of civilian infrastructure.

“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 terrorised. At this point, there are several dozen children who have never known peace in their lives,” the First Lady wrote.

Olena Zelenska with husband Volodymyr Zelensky and their children, Oleksandra and Kyrylo. Picture: Instagram

Olena Zelenska graced the cover of Vogue. Picture: Instagram

Echoing her husband, she called for Western countries to institute a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine, which Putin has warned would be tantamount to declaring world war.

“We need those in power to close our sky!” she said. “Close the sky, and we will manage the war on the ground ourselves.

Officers evacuate an elderly woman as civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks. Picture: Emin Sansar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

“Ukraine is stopping the force that may aggressively enter your cities tomorrow under the pretext of saving civilians,” 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.”

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and has been reproduced with permission

Originally published as ‘Mass murder’: Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska’s desperate move