On February 24, my daughter spoke for the first time. First word was “ba-bah,” which means the sound of a great explosion. That night, we woke to the concussive sound of bombs as our windows came crashing in. It was the bombardment of Kyiv.
I'm someone who didn't believe it would happen. I was born just a few days before the Chernobyl disaster and a few years before the collapse of the Soviet Union. I grew up in an independent Ukraine, struggling to overcome the legacy of the Soviet system. My mother and my grandmother worked very hard so that I could have a good education because they believed my generation would build the country. And we have.
Until six weeks ago, Ukraine was on an upward path, becoming more prosperous, more fair, more free. In 2004 and 2013, we marched for democracy, and we defeated autocracy.
So I was stunned when the windows crushed in. I froze. Speechless, motionless, absolutely helpless. That was my first lesson of war. What you cherish can be taken from you in a moment. Even your peace of mind.
My hands were still shaking as I fled to the west of Ukraine with my children and then over the border to Slovakia. My husband and my parents remain in Kyiv, helping our country. As we traveled further from our family, I imagined all that was being destroyed. Our homes, our hospitals, our critical infrastructure and so much more.
For 40 million people in my country and for billions around the globe, February 24 is the day Russia invaded Ukraine. For seven million Ukrainian children, it is also the day Russia tried to take their future. 176 children have been killed by Russian bombs. Hundreds more have been wounded.
Ten years ago, I dedicated myself to building world-class schools for the children of Ukraine. I believe education is the most powerful tool for improving the economy, the environment and human well-being. War very quickly destroys all three. So far, 900 schools have been critically damaged. 84 are completely destroyed.
And yet, education goes on. During the COVID pandemic, Ukrainian government engaged my team to create the Ukrainian school online. During the last two years, it has delivered school to children wherever they were. Students from remote areas had access to teachers and lessons they wouldn't have otherwise. This platform covers the secondary school curriculum and puts every student in front of our very best teachers. We never imagined our nonprofit project would be needed in a situation even more horrible than COVID. But today, almost 400,000 students learn on this platform. They connect from within Ukraine and from 120 countries where they are refugees at the moment. And for all of them, those couple of hours a day is not just a safe environment where they learn something new. It is also the space where, despite everything, Ukraine continues to invest in them.
And that was my second lesson of war. Putin can take a lot from us. Our homes, our jobs, our loved ones, our peace. But he cannot undo education. Knowledge and curiosity are unassailable treasures. And as long as our children keep learning and our teachers keep teaching, even while they are starving in shelters under bombardment, even in refugee camps, we are undefeated.
In this war, every Ukrainian has his own front. Our soldiers, our doctors, our mothers. And, yes, even our children and teachers. By continuing to learn, they fight for our future. And this fight is about so much more than borders. Ukrainians are fighting for freedom, for our right to imagine and build our future in our own way. Our people stand heroically. But against the second-largest army in the world, we cannot stand alone. To end this war, we need you. We need every citizen in every nation to demand that it stops.
And that was my third lesson. My freedom is connected to yours.
My daughter's first word was the sound of destruction. But as she grows, I know she and the rest of her generation will build Ukraine again. We will rehabilitate our roads, our schools, our hospitals, our houses and people. Fueled by knowledge and curiosity, we will walk again the path to become a prosperous, free nation. If you stand with us.
So please, don't watch from the side. Don't wait and see. Stand up with us now. Stand up for freedom. Stand up for democracy. Stand up for Ukraine.
Thank you.
(Applause)
