On 24 August, Independence Day of Ukraine, the sixth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen took place in Kyiv, organised on the initiative of Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska. Representing the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Station at the event was Lyudmyla Kozak, a physical security engineer, who worked at the station for 26 days in February–March 2022 under russian occupation.
The focus of this year’s Summit was ‘The World in 2026: Finding Resilience in Times of Uncertainty’. It was precisely this inner resilience that helped Ms Kozak and other Chornobyl NPP staff to carry out their duties amidst uncertainty, under the pressure of russian automatic weapons. To maintain this resilience, during her night shifts the engineer created a talisman for herself – she embroidered the Ukrainian flag and national emblem, as well as the inscription ‘Chornobyl’, onto a white medical cap, which she wore as a distinguishing mark.
‘We were surrounded and taken prisoner. The number of russian soldiers kept increasing and they were constantly changing: they would arrive at the station, disappear after a very short time, and be replaced by others…
The station is a radioactive facility that is not suitable for prolonged stays, rest or eating. Nobody knew how long the shift would last. The conditions were harsh. People slept wherever they could. Some curled up in a ball on chairs, others simply on tables. We knew there would be enough food to last two weeks, so it was decided to eat once a day to make the food last longer,” recalled Lyudmyla Kozak.
The speech by the Chornobyl representative opened the panel discussion ‘From Human Resilience to System Resilience’, which was also attended by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine (2025–2026) Yulia Svyrydenko, Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko, Senior Lieutenant of the Civil Protection Service and psychologist at the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service in Zaporizhzhia Oblast Yulia Sydorenko, writer and military officer Illarion Pavliuk, head of the Veteran Hub branch Hlib Stryzhko, Olena Vlezko, a primary school teacher from the village of Myropillia in the Sumy region, and the Hatsan family from Kherson, who were affected by the shelling.
"Resilience is always built by people. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, russia has been striking the power grid on a daily basis with KAB bombs, drones, jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. Yet it is still up and running. And this is thanks to our people, who go out on shift every day and do their job. Take Lyudmyla Kozak, for example, who worked at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Station during the occupation in 2022. A shift that usually lasts 12 hours dragged on for more than 600 hours this time. She was scared, but she did her job to protect Ukraine from disaster. Because she couldn’t do otherwise," said Denys Shmyhal.
The First Ladies and Gentlemen Summit is an annual international event, a global platform that has been running continuously since 2021 and brings together the spouses of heads of state who seek to use their influence to overcome today’s challenges by working on humanitarian issues. The Summit is co-organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, the Coordination Centre for Mental Health of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Programme ‘How Are You?’, and the World Health Organisation.\
