war in Ukraine
“Are you still alive?” Natalia Klitschko worries about her husband Vitali every morning
Natalia and Vitali Klitschko performing together in 2017
© Julian Stratenschulte/ / Picture Alliance
While Vitali Klitschko, as mayor of Kyiv, defied the Russian attack, his wife Natalia held out in Germany. And worries about her family every day.
After the Russian attack, Ukraine is fighting for its independence. One of the most prominent faces of the resistance is the former boxer and current mayor of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko. Meanwhile, his wife Natalia is worried about his well-being from Germany. And that of her family and friends.
She reported that in one Video interview of the ARD program “We help – together for Ukraine” last night. “My whole family is in the epicenter – they are either in Kyiv or nearby. My friends, my relatives, my acquaintances,” she reports, visibly moved. “Every day I start by writing to them. And I’m very happy to get replies that they are all alive.”
Natalia Klitschko: Fear for the family
“Every morning I ask Vitali: What’s the situation like? Is Kyiv still there?” she reports. “And he writes: Yes, we keep fighting, I’m alive.” But Natalia, who is currently looking after refugee families in Hamburg, does not only have to worry about Vitali. Her mother worries her too. “She has been sleeping in the bomb shelter since this week. She then goes out briefly to call me. And to tell me: daughter, everything is fine. We keep fighting, we’re alive.”
Despite the extreme situation, her mother was still joking. “We still try to joke and stay positive,” explains Klitschko. Her mother tries to keep the people and especially the children in the bunker in a good mood and to take away their fears. The fighters also support them. “Then she cooks something and brings it to the soldiers,” she says, visibly proud.
concerns about Europe
Klitschko is certain that the conflict is about more than Ukraine’s independence. “Ukraine is fighting for all of us, not just for itself. It is fighting for freedom, for democracy, and for peace throughout Europe.” That is why she is also very moved by the great solidarity of the Germans at the peace demos and the backing and support for Ukraine.
At the end there is a big appeal: “I ask everyone across Europe to take to the streets. And not to remain silent. To show: We stand by Ukraine, we are for peace. And we show our solidarity with the Ukraine!”
Source: ARD