>>> WE ARE JOINED NOW BY A NATIVE CHICAGOAN WHO HAS UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON RUSSIA'S ONGOING WAR IN YOUR BRAIN.

THAT'S BECAUSE SHE NOT ONLY LIVES IN THE COUNTRY, SHE WAS ITS FORMER FIRST LADY.

SHE WORKED UNDER PRESIDENT BUSH, AND THEN MARRIED YOU SANKO .

FAMOUSLY SUFFERING A NEAR-DEATH POISONING DURING HER ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

WELCOME TO "CHICAGO TONIGHT."

AND YOU ARE BACK IN TOWN WITH YOUR HUSBAND .

HOW DOES IT FEEL A YEAR AND A HALF INTO THE WAR ON UKRAINE TO BE BACK IN CHICAGO?

>> IT IS ALWAYS LOVELY TO BE BACK IN YOUR HOMETOWN BUT WE ARE HERE FOR ADMISSION AND THAT IS TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR COUNTRY .

UKRAINIANS WHO HAVE BEEN FORCED TO COME TO THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE.

WE ARE HERE TO COMMEMORATE THE UKRAINIAN GENOCIDE FAMINE OF 1932-'33.

IT IS THE 90th ANNIVERSARY.

AND THERE IS A FOUNDATION HOLDING A SERIES OF EVENTS WE WILL BE ATTENDING OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

>> A LOT OF EVENTS IN A BIG UKRAINIAN COMMUNITY.

YOUR PARENTS CAME HERE AS IMMIGRANTS.

YOU WERE BORN HERE IN CHICAGO.

YOU GREW UP HERE.

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT GROWING UP IN CHICAGO?

>> WELL, WE GREW UP IN PART OF THE UKRAINIAN COMMUNITY.

I WAS BORN NEAR HUMBOLDT PARK BUT THEN WE MOVED TO MOUNT PROSPECT.

WE WERE ALWAYS VERY INVOLVED IN THE UKRAINIAN COMMUNITY, WHICH WAS ALWAYS VERY STRONG AND VERY COMMITTED.

YOU -- UKRAINE IS A COUNTRY THAT HAS BEEN STRIVING FOR INDEPENDENCE FOR MANY CENTURIES.

WAVE AFTER WAVE OF UKRAINIANS HAVE COME HERE AS IMMIGRANTS.

NOW WE ARE SEEING THE NEW WAVE.

MY PARENTS WERE ONE OF THOSE.

THEY CAME HERE AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

>> OF COURSE, YOU NOW MOVE BACK TO UKRAINE.

YOU WERE THE FIRST LADY FROM 2005 THROUGH 2010.

WHAT IS KEY HAVE LIKE RIGHT NOW ON THE GROUND?

>> WELL, I HAVE TO SAY THAT WE ARE ALL VERY ANGRY, SAD, TIRED BUT VERY CONFIDENT.

WE ARE ANGRY BECAUSE THE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION CONTINUE.

WE EVERY DAY ABOUT PEOPLE GETTING KILLED.

CHILDREN GETTING ORPHANED.

NEW BOMBS.

WE ARE VERY SAD BECAUSE SOMETIMES WE LOSE THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST .

WE ARE TIRED BECAUSE WE ARE UP ALMOST EVERY NIGHT WITH AIR RAIDS .

AND WE ARE WORRIED BECAUSE WE HEAR THAT THE WORLD MIGHT BE FATIGUED FROM OUR WAR AND MAY NOT SUPPORT US AS MUCH AS THEY DID BEFORE OR AS THEY SHOULD.

ON THE OTHER HAND, WE ARE VERY CONFIDENT IN VICTORY.

OUR COUNTRY IS UNITED AS NEVER BEFORE.

FOR GENERATIONS WE HAVE FOUGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE.

WE FEEL THIS IS OUR LAST STAND AND WE WILL WIN.

>> YOU TALK ABOUT THAT 30 PLUS YEAR BATTLE FOR FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE FROM RUSSIA AND THAT BATTLE FOR DEMOCRACY.

YOUR HUSBAND , YUSHCHENKO, WAS PRO-WEST PRO-DEMOCRATIC.

HE WAS POISONED DURING HIS CAMPAIGN IN 2005 .

DO YOU REMEMBER THE MOMENTS THAT YOU FOUND OUT THAT HE HAD BEEN POISONED?

WHAT HAPPENED?

>> WELL, HE WAS RUNNING A CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE ENTRENCHED POWERS THAT WERE VERY CLOSE TO RUSSIA.

AND WHEN HE MADE IT CLEAR THAT UKRAINE WOULD BE MOVING AWAY FROM RUSSIA, INCLUDING TAKING -- TREATY.

WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GET IT BACK IN 2017.

THE RUSSIANS WENT VERY STRONGLY AGAINST HIM AND POISONED HIM.

I DO REMEMBER IT VERY CLEARLY.

IT WAS VERY OBVIOUS WHAT HAD HAPPENED.

INDEED, ANYONE WHO HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN THE POISONING POINTED TO RUSSIA ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.

>> YOU ARE PRETTY SURE RUSSIA AND VLADIMIR PUTIN WERE BEHIND IT.

>> IT HAS ABSOLUTELY BEEN PROVEN.

THE TYPE OF POISON USED AGAINST HIM WAS ONLY FOUND IN RUSSIA.

AS I SAID, MOST OF THE PEOPLE INVOLVED MOVED TO RUSSIA.

AND IT WAS IN RUSSIA'S INTEREST.

THEY HONESTLY WANTED HIM TO -- THEY COULDN'T IMAGINE A PRO-WESTERN, PRO-EUROPEAN UKRAINIAN LEADER IN OFFICE.

THEY WANTED SOMEONE WHO WOULD BE THEIR PUPPET.

>> YOU REFER TO AS A POSSIBLE PUPPET.

HE DID WIN, BUT THEN THE ELECTIONS WERE DECLARED FRAUDULENT.

UPON REVIEW, YOUR HUSBAND THEN WON AND BECAME PRESIDENT.

HOW DIFFICULT WAS HIS MOVE AND PUSH ?

>> HE WON BECAUSE THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE WENT TO THE STREETS BY THE MILLIONS.

THEY WENT TO THE STREETS TO DEMAND FREEDOM AND A EUROPEAN PATH FOR THEIR FUTURE.

THEY NO LONGER WANTED TO BE UNDER RUSSIA.

IT WAS DIFFICULT BECAUSE THE COUNTRY WAS DIVIDED POLITICALLY AND HE NEVER HAD A PARLIAMENTARY MAJORITY THAT WAS ABLE TO PUSH THROUGH HIS REFORMS.

SO IT WAS A VERY, VERY DIFFICULT FIVE YEARS, INCLUDING A TREMENDOUS DISINFORMATION FROM RUSSIA.

IN FACT, I THINK IT WAS A HYBRID WAR THAT BEGAN THEN .

SO MANY OF THE TACTICS LATER USED IN EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES IN TERMS OF DISINFORMATION AND CYBER ATTACKS -- SO MANY OTHER THINGS WERE TRIED OUT ON UKRAINE FIRST.

>> IT BEARS MENTIONING THAT THE PERSON RUNNING YOUR HUSBAND'S CAMPAIGN WAS PAUL MANAFORT, WHO ALSO FOR A TIME RAN TRUMP IN 2016 CAMPAIGN.

>> WELL, I THINK THAT MATT FORD LEARNED A LOT ABOUT RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION TACTICS THAT HE TRIED TO USE IN THE UNITED STATES.

>> OBVIOUSLY DISINFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR A LONG TIME NOW.

YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU ARE WORRIED THAT THE APPETITE FOR HELPING UKRAINE IN THE WEST MIGHT BE DRYING UP.

WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO MIGHT BE WARY OF CONTINUING TO SEND AID ?

>> I THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT.

IT IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION TO SAY THAT WHAT HAPPENS IN UKRAINE WILL VERY MUCH DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD BECAUSE IF UKRAINE DOES NOT WIN, AUTHORITARIANS AND DICTATORS AROUND THE WORLD WILL BE EMBOLDENED.

IF THE RICHEST AND MOST DEMOCRATIC AND FREEDOM LOVING COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD CANNOT COME TOGETHER AND ELIMINATE AN AGGRESSOR THAT IS COMMITTING GENOCIDE RIGHT ON THEIR BORDER, WHAT HOPE IS THERE FOR FREEDOM FIGHTERS IN AFRICA, ASIA, AND LATIN AMERICA?

ON THE OTHER HAND, IF UKRAINE IS VICTORIOUS, I THINK IT WILL REINVIGORATE THE DEMAND DEMOCRACY AROUND THE WORLD.

>> WHAT IS IT LIKE ON THE GROUND RIGHT NOW?

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT GOING TO BE FOR UKRAINE TO SUSTAIN ITS DEFENSE AGAINST RUSSIA ?

AND HOW LONG CAN THEY?

>> WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT REHAB.

NO MATTER WHAT SUPPORT WE GET, WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT AND WE ARE DETERMINED AS A NATION.

WE ARE UNITED AS NEVER BEFORE.

90% OF THE PEOPLE WANT TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT MATTER WHAT.

IT IS A DIFFICULT ROAD.

IF WE HAD GOTTEN ALL THE WEAPONS WE HAD NEEDED, WE COULD HAVE ENDED IT QUICKLY.

BUT THEY CAME VERY SLOWLY.

AS A RESULT, IT IS TAKING US LONGER THAN WE WOULD LIKE.

MORE LOSSES THAN WE WOULD HOPE TO HAVE.

ON THE OTHER HAND, I KNOW THAT WE WILL WIN.

>> AND YOUR HUSBAND IS HERE IN TOWN.

I THINK WE'RE GOING TO TALK TO HIM ON MONDAY.

DOES HE STILL FEEL THE EFFECTS OF THAT POISONING TODAY?

>> OF COURSE.

HE HAD TENS OF THOUSANDS OVER THE DOSE THAT IS ALLOWED FOR A HUMAN BEING.

I MEANT TO HIM.

OF COURSE, IT WAS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.

WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.

BUT THERE IS NONE.

>> TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE EVENTS YOU'RE GOING TO BE ATTENDING.

>> TOMORROW WE HAVE A SYMPOSIUM AT THE ROTARY CLUB WHERE WE WILL BE SPEAKING AT THE UKRAINIAN FAMINE.

AND THAT GENOCIDE THAT WE SAW IN 3233 WAS JUST ONE IN A SERIES OF GENOCIDAL ACTS WE SEE TODAY.

THE SAME GENOCIDES THAT HAPPEN IN THE VERY SAME REGIONS 90 YEARS AGO.

THEN THERE WILL BE A MEMORIAL SERVICE AT THE UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH.

THERE WILL BE A MEMORIAL CONCERT.

WE WILL BE MEETING WITH CHILDREN -- UKRAINIAN CHILDREN WHO HAVE IMMIGRATED HERE.

TALK TO THEM.

THERE WILL BE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT EVENTS.