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Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska on Tuesday accused Russia of the "mass murder" of civilians, including children, in an open letter to the global media on the Russian invasion.
For the first time since the invasion began, Ms Zelenska wrote to the international community about the effect of the war on the country’s most vulnerable.
What has happened to Ukraine is “impossible to believe”, she wrote in the message which was released on the Telegram app.
She said Russia’s military invasion represented “the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians” despite “assurances from Kremlin-backed propaganda outlets, who call this a ‘special operation’”.
Writing about Russia's President Vladimir Putin, she said he had underestimated Ukrainians, who stand in "unparalleled unity".
Here's what you need to know about Olena Zelenska.
University friends
Ms Zelenska was born Olena Kiyashko in central Ukraine in 1978 and met her now-husband Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Kryvyi Rih National University. She studied architecture and he studied law but a career in comedy was awaiting both.
Ms Zelenska wrote scripts for Mr Zelenskyy's comedy group, Kvartal 95, before going on to write for his hit TV show Servant of the People, in which he played the president of Ukraine. The pair married in 2003 and went on to have two children together, Olexandra, now aged 17 and Kyrylo, 9.
She has said she initially opposed her husband's decision to run for president in 2019, due to the upheaval it would cause to their lives.
First lady Olena Zelenska
Despite her reticence, Ms Zelenska has taken to her role as first lady. She has spearheaded campaigns for better school meals, against domestic violence and worked to make Ukrainian a language on audio guides in museums around the world.
She has accompanied Mr Zelenskyy on international trips, meeting Prince William and his wife Catherine in Britain in 2020.
The Ukrainian presidency did not immediately respond to a question as to whether Ms Zelenska is currently in Kyiv.
Speaking up in wartime
Deploring the deaths of children in the war in her post on Tuesday, Ms Zelenskyy named some of those killed by Russian strikes and forces and said there were now several dozen children "who have never known peace in their lives".
“Our women and children now live in bomb shelters and basements,” she said.
“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.”
She said Ukraine’s roads were “flooded with refugees”.
“Look into the eyes of these tired women and children who carry with them the pain and heartache of leaving loved ones and life as they knew it behind,” she said.
“The men bringing them to the borders shedding tears to break apart their families, but bravely returning to fight for our freedom. After all, despite all this horror Ukrainians do not give up."
Ms Zelenska justified her testimony by saying that requests from media outlets around the world to talk about the invasion had overwhelmed her.
"Perhaps the most terrifying and devastating of this invasion are the child casualties. Eight-year-old Alice died on the streets of Okhtyrka while her grandfather tried to protect her. Or Polina from Kyiv, who died in the shelling with her parents,” she said.
"14-year-old Arseniy was hit in the head by wreckage, and could not be saved because an ambulance could not get to him on time because of intense fires."
The first lady called for a no-fly zone over Ukraine and appealed directly to journalists.
Ms Zelenska’s work has focused largely on diplomatic and cultural routes.
She has advocated nutritional reform across schools in Ukraine, as well as pushing for an initiative to spread the Ukrainian language across the world, all while campaigning for a society free of barriers.
Ukraine’s first lady holds an architecture degree from Kryvyi Rih National University.
Dunki
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
AWARDS
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UFC Fight Night 2
1am – Early prelims
2am – Prelims
4am-7am – Main card
7:30am-9am – press cons
Results
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1hr 32mins 03.897sec
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) at 0.745s
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 37.383s
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 46.466s
5.Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) 52.047s
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 59.090s
7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:06.004
8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 1:07.100
9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:25.692
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:26.713,
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 445bhp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh474,600
On Sale: Now
OIL PLEDGE
At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.
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Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
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EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
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Desert Warrior
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Punchy appearance
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
What is 'Soft Power'?
Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye.
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength.
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force.
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.
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