As the lights went out across Ukraine, Olena Zelenska arrived in London this week. It’s been hard to adjust, she says, the festive decorations feel jarring, the traffic raucous, loud noises make her nervous. ⁠ ⁠ She must be dreading the long winter, with plummeting temperatures, 48-hour blackouts, the struggle for heating, and cut off from the internet. Does she worry that the frail, young and those in hospital may die from hypothermia?⁠ ⁠ “No,” she says. “We die because of Russian missiles.” The Ukrainians, she explains, are extremely tough and won’t capitulate even if they are starving. “Ukrainians, despite everything, have quite an optimistic outlook. It’s hard to imagine if it happened to London and the whole city was suddenly deprived of light, water, heat and communication, but Ukrainians are becoming quite resilient even though it’s getting difficult.” ⁠ ⁠ She is grateful if she can occasionally snatch a shower between blackouts or wash some clothes when the water is running. “These attacks on our energy sector are systematic now but the political leadership of the country is following the will of the people and they want to stand and continue to fight.”⁠ ⁠ 🔗 Read the full interview with Ukraine’s first lady via link in bio