The wife of Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelenskyy has written an open letter, saying what has happened to her country is “impossible to believe”.

The letter, entitled ‘I Testify’ and addressed to the world’s media, was released on encrypted messaging service Telegram.

In it, Olena Zelenska said that “despite assurances from Kremlin-backed propaganda outlets, who call this a ‘special operation’ – it is, in fact, the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians”.

But she said Russia’s President Vladimir Putin had underestimated Ukrainians, who stand in “unparalleled unity”.

Deploring the deaths of children in the war, she named some of those who have died and went on to say that there are now several dozen children “who have never known peace in their lives”.

Ukraine’s first lady’s whereabouts are not known. Her husband said at the weekend that his family was still in the country and she indicates this in her letter.

She explained that she was writing letter because “an overwhelming number of media outlets from around the world have reached out with requests for interviews” and said the letter is her answer to the questions, and her testimony from Ukraine.

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She wrote: “Perhaps the most terrifying and devastating of this invasion are the child casualties. Eight-year-old Alice who died on the streets of Okhtyrka while her grandfather tried to protect her. 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 because an ambulance could not get to him on time because of intense fires.

“When Russia says that it is ‘not waging war against civilians,’ I call out the names of these murdered children first.”

And she wrote: “Our roads are flooded with refugees. Look into the eyes of these tired women and children who carry with them the pain and heartache of leaving loved ones and life as they knew it behind.

“The men bringing them to the borders shedding tears to break apart their families, but bravely returning to fight for our freedom. After all, despite all this horror, Ukrainians do not give up.”

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