Olena

Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelesnak called for an increased international effort to combat Russian aggression, saying it was an "insult to mankind" to have mass starvation. As the first anniversary of the Ukraine war looms, Mrs Zelenska told the World Economic Forum in Davos that Ukrainian parents were in tears watching doctors trying to save their children and farmers were afraid to go back to their fields filled with explosive mines. With the war responsible for inflation and expanding food insecurity in developing nations, Mrs Zelenska called it "an insult to mankind and human nature to have mass starvation". Referencing the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, she said: "We do not want children in the world to be forced to learn how to protect themselves from radiation disease." She condemned government leaders, corporate executives, economists, scientists and journalists for not always using their influence enough or "using it in a way that divides even more". Her … [Read more...] about Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska criticises world leaders at Davos: ‘Insult to mankind to have mass starvation’

Ukraine’s first lady flew into the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual gathering in Davos on Tuesday, leading a push by President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government to secure more battlefield weapons to defend against Russia’s invasion. Olena Zelenska used the opportunity afforded by a special address to warn that Kyiv and its forces are all that stands between Russian aggression and a new nuclear disaster along the lines of Chernobyl, while scolding foreign government representatives to do more to help her embattled country. Speaking in Ukranian, Zelenska told delegates to act as Russia’s invasion nears the 11-month mark. Special Message from @ZelenskaUA , First Lady of Ukraine #wef23 https://t.co/7M2FJePYSz — World Economic Forum (@wef) January 17, 2023 “You are all united by the fact that you are really very influential. But there is also something that separates you – and that is that not all of you are using this influence or sometimes you use it in a way … [Read more...] about Ukraine’s First Lady Tells Davos Elites: Do More to Support Kyiv

First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska told reporters on Wednesday that her husband, President Volodymyr Zelensky, had used her to send a personal letter to Chinese dictator Xi Jinping. Zelenska is currently attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, representing her country and urging attendees to donate money and weapons to Kyiv’s war effort against an ongoing Russian invasion. At the event, Zelenska said she handed over the letter intended for Xi to the Chinese Communist Party delegation at the event. China is one of Russia’s closest allies; Russia is one of the few countries in the world to enjoy a trade surplus with China. Beijing has also cultivated friendly ties with Ukraine for years, however, and has declared itself nominally impartial in the Russian invasion. Ukraine is a member of China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI), a debt-trap scheme intended to bring poor countries under China’s influence. Zelensky and his administration have repeatedly … [Read more...] about Zelensky Uses Davos to Send Xi Jinping a Personal Letter Inviting ‘Dialogue’

Ukrainian "anti-oligarch" President Volodymyr Zelensky and his inner circle's network of offshore companies were not exposed in Panama Papers but can be found in the Pandora Papers, another tranche of files leaked by journalists that revealed the clandestine financial affairs of the elite and super rich. The huge leak of tax haven files by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed the secret offshore holdings of 336 politicians from more than 90 countries, Zelensky among them. The former comedian was elected Ukraine's president in April 2019 to help fight corruption and the influence of oligarchs on the ex-Soviet country. He rode into the presidency on a wave of public anger over the corruption of the country's political class, including some who used shell companies to hide their wealth overseas. The Pandora Papers, published in October 2021, showed that Zelensky and his inner circle established a web of offshore companies in 2012. They show … [Read more...] about Was Volodymyr Zelensky in the Panama Papers? Offshore companies revealed

By ANDREW MELDRUM (Associated Press) KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The death toll from the Ukraine war’s deadliest attack on civilians at one location since last spring, a weekend Russian missile strike on a southeastern apartment building, has reached 45, officials said Tuesday. Those killed in the Saturday afternoon strike in Dnipro included six children, with 79 people injured, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app. The toll included two dozen people initially listed as missing at the multistory building, which housed about 1,700, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office. Emergency crews cleared some 9 metric tons (9.9 tons) of rubble during a non-stop search and rescue operation, the Dnipro City Council said. About 400 people lost their homes, with 72 apartments completely ruined and another 236 damaged beyond repair, it added. The latest deadly Russian strike on a civilian target in the almost 11-month wa r … [Read more...] about Russian strike toll: 45 dead civilians, including 6 children

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine is among 18 people who have died after a helicopter crashed by a nursery in a Kyiv suburb, authorities have said. Images from the scene show huge flames and a plume of smoke going into the sky in Brovary, which is located northeast of the capital. Minister Denys Monastyrskyi and First Deputy Minister Yevhen Yenin were among those killed in the incident, as well as three children. Kyiv regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba said 29 people were also hurt in the crash, including 15 children. He added: "At the time of the tragedy, children and staff of the institution were in the kindergarten. "Everyone has now been evacuated," Ambulance services, police and firefighters are working at the scene. More on Ukraine State-of-the-art bionic arms given to Ukrainian soldiers who were badly wounded by landmines Ukraine war: Boxing coach filmed celebrating his daughter's birthday - before he was killed in Dnipro missile … [Read more...] about Ukrainian minister among 18 dead in helicopter crash near Kyiv

KYIV, Ukraine — When the blare of the siren rang out over the loud speaker, the students in a school in central Kyiv quickly rose from their desks, packed their things and filed calmly down the stairs behind their teachers. But this wasn’t a drill. Amid the darkness, huddled in the narrow hallway of their basement shelter, students chatted among themselves. Some used the lights on their smartphones to continue working on classroom assignments. They would remain in the shelter for nearly two hours until the threat of a potential airstrike passed. It is the new reality for the 430 schoolchildren, ages 6 to 18, who still attend classes in person at this large public elementary and high school in Ukraine’s capital. Although classes resumed in September, a relentless barrage of Russian strikes targeting the city since October has crippled the country’s power grid , caused rolling blackouts in Kyiv and offered the latest challenge to education during wartime. “We hope this will not … [Read more...] about School Is in Session, Power or Not

China’s twin crises At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, China sought to reassure the world that its economy was back on track . A delegation told world leaders that business could return to normal now that the country has relaxed its “zero Covid” policy. But China’s projected resilience does not align with two major revelations about its long-term health and stability. Yesterday, China revealed that its economy had just had one of its worst performances since 1976, the year Mao Zedong died. Its economy grew by just 3 percent, far short of its 5.5 percent target. Perhaps more consequential, China also revealed that its population had shrunk last year for the first time since the Great Leap Forward, Mao’s failed economic experiment. In the population data, experts see major implications for China, its economy and the world. Births in China have fallen for years, and officials have fought to reverse the trend. They have loosened the one-child policy … [Read more...] about Your Wednesday Briefing: China’s Dual Crises

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine is among 14 people who have died after a helicopter crashed by a nursery in a Kyiv suburb, authorities have said. Images from the scene show huge flames and a plume of smoke going into the sky in Brovary, which is located northeast of the capital. Minister Denys Monastyrskyi and First Deputy Minister Yevhen Yenin were among those killed in the incident, as well as three children. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the officials were "true patriots of Ukraine". He added: "As of this minute, three children died. It is an indescribable pain." There has been no immediate information about what caused the helicopter to come down. Kyiv regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba said 29 people were also hurt in the crash, including 15 children. More on Ukraine State-of-the-art bionic arms given to Ukrainian soldiers who were badly wounded by landmines Ukraine war: Boxing coach filmed celebrating his daughter's birthday - … [Read more...] about ‘An indescribable pain’: Ukrainian minister among 14 dead in helicopter crash near Kyiv

The world is in a “sorry state" because of myriad interlinked challenges including climate change and Russia’s war in Ukraine that are “piling up like cars in a chain reaction crash,” the U.N. chief said at the World Economic Forum’s meeting Wednesday. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered his gloomy message on the second day of the elite gathering of world leaders and corporate executives in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. Sessions took a grim turn when news broke of a helicopter crash in Ukraine that killed more than a dozen people, including Ukraine’s interior minister and other officials. Forum President Borge Brende requested 15 seconds of silence and Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska dabbed teary eyes, calling it “another very sad day,” then telling attendees that “we can also change this negative situation for the better." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was scheduled to address the conclave by video link as the Ukrainian delegation that includes … [Read more...] about World is in a ‘Sorry State’, Warns UN Chief at World Economic Forum