Ukraine’s First Lady shares heartbreaking message to mothers of Russian soldiers

The First Lady of Ukraine has issued a heartbreaking message to the mothers of Russian soldiers fighting in her native country. 

Olena Zelenska, the wife of President Zelenskyy, took to social media on Wednesday to share a list of ways her fellow First Ladies can help to end President Putin’s invasion of her homeland. 

The 44-year-old, who is currently hiding at a secret location in Ukraine with the couple's two children, called for the “truth” about Russia's actions to be revealed to the world. She also asked for a special message to be delivered to the mothers of the country's fighting men and boys, many of whom have received no information on their children's involvement in the conflict. 

“What is happening in Ukraine is not a ‘special military operation’ as Putin says, but a full-scale war, where the aggressor is the Russian Federation,” Zelenska explained. “Tell Russian mothers that their sons are not engaged in military exercises—they are dying trying to seize Ukraine.”

The accomplished screenwriter went on to emphasize the gravity of the situation for those looking to help the people of Ukraine at this difficult time. 

“Ukrainian children have to live and study in bomb shelters, and hospitals have to treat their patients in basements,” she wrote. “Despite the assurances of Russian propagandists and the Kremlin's mouthpieces, there are already dozens of civilian victims in Ukraine.” 

Zelenska also offered a number of practical measures that the public can take to help end the ongoing conflict, which has left over a million Ukrainians displaced and claimed the lives of thousands.

President Putin launched a full-scale invasion of the Eastern European democracy on Thursday 24 February, attacking the nation of 44 million people from land, air and sea. Over 2,000 Ukrainian citizens have been killed since the conflict began, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, while more than a million people have fled the country. 

Russia has said that 498 of its troops have been killed in the war, a far lower death toll than Ukraine's estimate of 5,800. 

President Putin has been largely condemned by the global community, with many world leaders—including US President Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson—imposing heavy economic sanctions on the transcontinental country in response to the invasion.