Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska tells of war’s impact on her family in rare joint TV interview

Ukraine’s first lady has said the war in the country has “torn apart” her family’s life as it has for “every other Ukrainian family”.

In a rare joint interview, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s wife, Olena Zelenska, said determination has kept their relationship strong, despite the couple rarely seeing each other as the war rages.

The first lady, who has two children with Mr Zelensky, told Ukraine’s RADA TV: “Our family was torn apart, as every other Ukrainian family.

“He lives at his job. We didn’t see him at all for two-and-a-half months.

"Unfortunately, we cannot sit together, have dinner with the whole family, talk about everything.”

However, she rebutted suggestions from the interviewer that “the war basically took your husband away from you”.

She replied: “Nobody takes my husband away from me, not even the war.”

The 75-minute interview is only the second time the couple have been seen in public together since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Mrs Zelenska told the interviewers she was “grateful” for the joint appearance alongside her husband because it meant they could finally spend time together.

Her husband joked: “A date on TV!” adding: “We are joking, but we are really waiting, like everyone else, to be reunited, like all families in Ukraine who are separated now, waiting for their relatives and friends who want to be together again”.

Speaking about how the war had affected her husband, Mrs Zelenska said it had not changed his character. “He was a reliable husband and a reliable man before, and he remains that,” she said.

“His point of view hasn’t changed, the way he’s wired hasn’t changed.”

While Mr Zelensky remained in Kyiv to oversee the war effort, she and their two children were moved to an undisclosed location for safety.

Olena Zelenska and Volodymyr Zelensky - In pictures

She spoke candidly about the moment war broke out, saying : “I asked him what was going on. And he said, ‘It has started.’ I can’t describe the emotions–anxious and overwhelmed.”

The eastern Donbas region continues to witness heavy fighting, with Ukrainians digging in to defend the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk as it endured heavy bombardment.

Shelling increased in ferocity throughout the weekend as Russian and Ukrainian forces battled along a 342-mile wedge of Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland, driving residents to flee.