English: On International Women’s Day, Ukrainian author Oksana Zabuzhko addressed the European Parliament on the plight of her fellow citizens under attack by Russia.

Before Oksana Zabuzhko’s formal address in the Strasbourg hemicycle today at noon, EP President Metsola declared: ‘‘On this day, the word celebration is not really a word we could use. In Ukraine, we see women are resisting, standing up and taking up arms against their aggressor. It is a privilege to have with us a Ukrainian woman and writer whose literature and strong voice exhibits the strength of Ukrainian women in the face of oppression. These brave and resilient women serve as an inspiration to us all, as they defend the same European values that we hold.’’

Mrs Zabuzhko, who left Ukraine two weeks ago with only hand luggage, highlighted that she was used, in her writings, to giving a voice to women and to fighting for their rights, but for the first time now, she has to stand up for women’s rights to life itself. She added: ‘‘I cannot but admire my fellow women fighting alongside our men, managing the distribution of supplies across our besieged cities and giving birth in bomb shelters, supervised by doctors online. The problem is Putin’s bombs will not be stopped by the strength of our spirit.’’

Read more: www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220304IPR2478...

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