Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska penned an open letter to the global media Tuesday, appealing to news organizations "to keep showing the truth" about the "mass murder of Ukrainian civilians."
"What happened just over a week ago was impossible to believe," Zelenska wrote. "Our country was peaceful; our cities, towns, and villages were full of life.
"Our women and children now live in bomb shelters and basements," the first lady continued. "You have most likely all seen these images from Kyiv and Kharkiv metro stations, where people lie on the floors with their children and pets — trapped beneath."
In her emotional missive, Zelenska asked the global media for help in documenting the Russian invasion.
"I appeal to you, dear media: keep showing what is happening here and keep showing the truth," she said. "In the information war waged by the Russian Federation, every piece of evidence is crucial."
Russia has called its attack on Ukraine a "special military operation," a label the first lady disputes.
"It is, in fact, the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians," Zelenska wrote.
Despite the destruction, Zelenska said that "Ukrainians do not give up."
"The aggressor, Putin, thought that he would unleash blitzkrieg on Ukraine," she said. "But he underestimated our country, our people, and their patriotism. Ukrainians, regardless of political views, native language, beliefs, and nationalities, stand in unparalleled unity.
"While Kremlin propagandists bragged that Ukrainians would welcome them with flowers as saviors, they have been shunned with Molotov cocktails," the first lady added.
The most "terrifying" and "devastating" aspect of the invasion is the toll it has taken on the country's children, Zelenska 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 terrorized," she wrote. "At this point, there are several dozen children who have never known peace in their lives."
In addition to the children who have known nothing but violence, are the ones who have lost their lives in the conflict, Zelenska said.
"Eight-year-old Alice who died on the streets of Okhtyrka while her grandfather tried to protect her," she said. "Or Polina from Kyiv, who died in the shelling with her parents. 14-year-old Arseniy was hit in the head by wreckage and could not be saved."
The first lady said that shelling is not the only way that war is being waged against the civilian population.
"Some people require intensive care and continuous treatment, which they cannot receive now," she said. "How easy is it to inject insulin in the basement? Or to get asthma medication under heavy fire? Not to mention the thousands of cancer patients whose essential access to chemotherapy and radiation treatment have now been indefinitely delayed."
In calling for Western countries to institute a "no-fly zone" over Ukraine, Zelenska echoed her husband.
"We need those in power to close our sky!" she said. "Close the sky, and we will manage the war on the ground ourselves."
Putin has warned that closing Ukrainian airspace would be equivalent to declaring world war.
The first lady closed her letter with a warning to Europe.
"With this letter, I testify and tell the world: the war in Ukraine is not a war 'somewhere out there,' " she wrote. "This is a war in Europe, close to the EU borders. Ukraine is stopping the force that may aggressively enter your cities tomorrow under the pretext of saving civilians."
"If we don't stop Putin, who threatens to start a nuclear war, there will be no safe place in the world for any of us," she added.
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