Zelenska attends a ceremony in Kyiv in Nov. 2023. (Kirill Chubotin / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
First Lady Olena Zelenska told The Economist that she does not want President Volodymyr Zelensky to lead another term and that he needs to find something new in life.
"I don't want him to be president for another term or two terms,” she told journalists.
When asked about how she envisions her future, she said "our family will reunite. We will live together all the time. After that we’ll take a vacation.”
There has been heated debate over whether Ukraine needs to hold a national election in March next year as originally scheduled.
Zelensky said in November that it was "not the right time" for elections.
Lance Luo (Li P. Luo) is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. Previously, he worked at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Hromadske Television in Kyiv. He also spent three years in finance and strategy consulting. Mr. Luo graduated from the University of Southern California and serves as an arbitrator at FINRA.
The attack comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Ukrainians should brace for mass Russian missile and drone strikes over the Christmas period.
Under martial law, Ukrainian men aged 25 to 60 are subject to conscription and are forbidden from leaving the country except under a certain number of specific circumstances.
Ukraine's General Staff previously said that the plant produces drone components, composite materials, body parts, seals, and insulation for various types of Russian military equipment.
According to preliminary information, on Dec. 18, Russian forces illegally detained about 50 civilians — residents of the village of Hrabovske — holding them without access to communication or adequate conditions. On Dec. 20, they were forcibly taken to Russia.
U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking at an event in Palm Beach, Florida on Dec. 22, said talks on ending Russia's war in Ukraine are ongoing, but offered few specifics on progress, next steps, or deadlines.
"In principle, the ammunition initiative has certainly been a good thing; the question is whether it has occurred without corruption," Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said.
Earlier this year, the Kyiv Independent launched its “How to Help Ukraine” newsletter — a membership benefit created in direct response to our community’s requests for more ways to help Ukraine during Russia’s full-scale invasion. In the first six months since the newsletter’s launch, our community has raised over $105,300, according to the organizations we featured.
