'Thank you, our heroes': Zelensky issues Father's Day message

‘Thank you, our heroes’: Zelensky issues Father’s Day message praising those who have taken up arms to defend Ukraine from invasion

• Father-of-two Zelensky celebrated the dads staunchly defending Ukraine in war
• He posted earlier: ‘Being a father is a great responsibility and a great happiness’ 
• Kyiv leader attached a series of stunning images of valiant fathers during war
• Zelensky added: ‘It’s strength, wisdom, motivation to go forward and not give up’

President Zelensky celebrated the ‘heroes’ defending Ukraine in an Instagram post to mark Father’s Day.

The Kyiv leader, a father-of-two, posted a series of images of brave fathers taken during the war.

He wrote: ‘Being a father is a great responsibility and a great happiness. 

‘It is strength, wisdom, motivation to go forward and not to give up. 

Father-of-two Zelensky is pictured with wife Olena, both 44, at a funeral in May 2022 

Mr Zelensky shared a series of images showing the valiance of Ukrainian fathers in the war

‘And no matter how difficult it is – to protect and defend the most precious.’

The Ukrainian president and his wife Olena attend a state dinner hosted in Tokyo, 2019

Mr Zelensky added: ‘The future of your family, your children, and therefore the whole of Ukraine.

‘Thank you, our heroes.’

Twelve hours after it was published, the post had more than 435,000 likes.  

Volodymyr and wife Olena Zelenska, both 44, have two a daughter, Oleksandra, 17, and a son Kyrylo, nine.

Ms Zelenska left Kyiv with their two children at the start of the war.

They fled to an undisclosed location in Ukraine away from the capital.

Last month Ms Zelenska said she was keeping them with her while her husband deals with the mountainous task of leading a country in the midst of a war.

‘Luckily we were able to organize our lives in such a way that they didn’t have to go anywhere, and I didn’t have to go anywhere from them,’ she said.

‘Of course, [Oleksandra] is a school graduate, we are all worried.

One of the photos shows a father hold his child at a train station as he prepares to say goodbye

Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and Olenska Zelenska (right) are pictured in Kiev on July 21, 2019

‘This is an important milestone in her life and unfortunately it happens at such a difficult time in our family’s life and in our country’s life in general.

‘There will be no prom. Nothing’s going to happen. We are graduating from high school remotely. But she will be applying (to university) in Ukraine.’

She added her son Kyryo was ‘like all children now’ and studying at home.

The first lady said: ‘I am engaged in this process. I really want our children to go back to school on the first of September.

‘I’m just trying to get through this whole period… and the separation. 

‘Our family is separated. I see Volodymyr periodically here at the office. I might come in and see him, if he’s not in some meeting today, I’ll greet him. 

‘The children? They somehow understand that this period will end at some point, but the questions ‘when?’ are constantly existing in our family.’

Mrs Zelenska said earlier in May in her first interview since the war began: ‘Nobody takes my husband away from me, not even war.

Another photo shared today shows a father waving goodbye to his departing children

‘I can’t say that Volodymyr has changed since the start of this war. He was a reliable husband and a reliable man before, and that he remains.’  

‘His point of view hasn’t changed, the way he’s wired hasn’t changed.’

Zelensky’s Father’s Day post came as NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg urged for more heavy weapons to be sent to Ukraine.

One uniformed father holds his child in a Buzz Lightyear blanket in a Kyiv underground station

Stoltenberg said at The Hague: ‘Ukraine should have more heavy weapons. And Nato allies and partners have provided heavy weapons for a long time, but they are also stepping up.’

Ukraine claims it has received just 10 per cent of the weapons promised by its Western allies.

Deputy defence minister Anna Maylar said: ‘No matter how hard Ukraine tries, no matter how professional our army is, without the help of Western partners we will not be able to win this war.’

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Zelensky shared the powerful photos in an effort to inspire Ukrainians to keep up their efforts

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