Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska said that implementing legislation on the social and legal status of people affected by conflict-related sexual violence and ensuring emergency interim reparations remain among Ukraine’s key priorities.
She made the remarks during an event supporting women and women’s leadership organized by the United Kingdom with the participation of Canada and Australia.
According to Zelenska, victims of war crimes should not have to wait years for justice and assistance.
“Currently, these payments are financed not by Russia, as they should be, but by international partners through the Global Survivors Fund, because survivors should not have to wait. The very fact of receiving compensation gives them a sense of justice that every person who has suffered tragedy seeks,” she said.
The First Lady called on international partners to ensure the long-term sustainability of this mechanism and to continue supporting survivor assistance centers and civil society organizations working with women.
Zelenska noted that, according to the pilot emergency interim reparations program, at least 331 women and 19 girls have survived sexual violence committed by Russian occupiers. She stressed that the actual number is likely much higher, as many survivors are not yet ready to speak publicly about their experiences.
During her speech, Zelenska also shared stories of Ukrainian women affected by Russia’s war. Among them were 29-year-old Veronika Chuyan, who was killed while heading to a shelter during a missile attack on Kyiv, and 89-year-old teacher Alla Umanska, whose home was destroyed by a Russian strike.
“They had the right to live peacefully in their country and in their cities, like women everywhere in the world. But this is what Russia has done to them,” Zelenska said.
According to the First Lady, more than 5,000 women and girls have been killed and over 14,000 injured in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“It is essential that the response to this war reflects the principles set out 25 years ago in UN Security Council Resolution 1325, namely justice for survivors. Because justice for even one person today means a more just world for all of us tomorrow,” she said.
