PRESS RELEASE : Olena Zelenska delivered a speech at the international conference “Women in Conflicts”
The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 10 June 2022.
First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska took part in the online format of the conference “Women in Conflicts”. The event took place in Brussels and was organized by the European Union together with the UN Women. The conference focuses on the situation of women at the epicenter of war, justice, and women’s leadership in difficult life circumstances. The first part of the conference was held in New York on September 21, 2021.
Olena Zelenska was invited to participate in the event by President of the European Council Charles Michel who has visited Ukraine several times since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
During the speech, the First Lady showed photos and told the stories of Ukrainian women related to Russia’s war against our state.
“I don’t want to and can’t talk about the war in the language of statistics and numbers. Fates are lost behind them. We already have real symbols of our war,” said the wife of the President of Ukraine.
The First Lady was joined by other female leaders, including Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner Iraqi human rights activist Nadia Murad, a survivor of ISIS slavery and torture. She also co-organized the event.
The President’s wife also noted the great role of Ukrainian women in resisting the Russian invasion: “They cannot be called passive victims, each of them has her own story of resistance. Most of our doctors are women. 50% of our entrepreneurs are women, and they work to support the economy. There are 37,000 women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. More than a thousand women have already become commanders. For example, history teacher Liubov Plaksiuk is the first Ukrainian woman to lead an artillery unit and is currently fighting in Donbas. There is such a popular question: what is your superpower? So, each of our women can answer: my superpower is that I’m Ukrainian! And this is no exaggeration. Our women are superheroes who are bringing the victory closer with every day of their lives.”
