Ukraine’s first lady recalls moment she realized her country was at war: LIVE UPDATES – Fox News

Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska opened up in a recent interview with Vogue about the early days of Russia's invasion and how her country is trying to move forward.

"There had been a lot of talk, everywhere, about a possible invasion," Zelenska, who has been married to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since 2003, said about the first day of the invasion. "But until the last minute it was impossible to believe that this would happenin the twenty-first century? In the modern world? I woke up, sometime between 4 and 5 a.m., because of aclunk. I didnt immediately realize it was an explosion. I didnt understand what it could be. My husband wasnt in bed. But when I got up, I saw him at once, already dressed, in a suit as usual (this was the last time Id see him in a suit and a white shirtfrom then on it was military). 'It started.' Thats all he said."

When asked about her "mix of personal and civic feelings", Zelenska responded by pointing out what she believes was Russian President Vladimir Putin's "fatal mistake."

"The war immediately combined the personal and public," Zelenska said. "And this is probably the fatal mistake of the tyrant who attacked us. We are all Ukrainians first, and then everything else. He wanted to divide us, to shatter us, to provoke internal confrontation, but it is impossible to do this with Ukrainians. When one of us is tortured, raped, or killed, we feel that we all are being tortured, raped, or killed. We do not need propaganda to feel civic consciousness, and to resist."

Zelenska praised the way that Ukrainian women have responded to the challenges of war and told multiple stories about heroism shown by Ukrainian women who helped save lives while protecting their own children.

Zelenska also reiterated her husband's call for a "no-fly zone" to be established by the international community over Ukraine.

"We asked to close the sky above us so that Ukrainians would not perish. But NATO considered this to be a direct conflict with Russia," Zelenska said. "So, can I say now that Russia alone is to blame for further deaths? Rhetorical question. You ask if this is the right move for the United States. I sayand this is not only true for the United Statesgive a tough answer to the actions of the aggressor or the aggressor will be encouraged to move."

Zelenska added, "Russia knows that the West will not cover the sky, and this fact encourages it to commit atrocities."

When asked what gives her hope throughout the Russian invasion, Zelenska pointed to her family.

"My familyjust like every Ukrainianand my compatriots: incredible people who organized to help the army and help each other," Zelenska said. "Now all Ukrainians are the army. Everyone does what they can. There are stories about grandmothers who bake bread for the army just because they feel this call. They want to bring victory closer."

Read this article:

Ukraine's first lady recalls moment she realized her country was at war: LIVE UPDATES - Fox News